MLB Player News

Carpenter (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Double-A Springfield on Sunday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The three-time All-Star was recently cleared to resume baseball activities after being shut down for several weeks, and has successfully ramped up close to a rehab assignment. It's uncertain how long Carpenter will need in the minors to prepare for a return to the major league roster, but it seems he has a decent chance to make it back for the start of the team's homestand next week. He will immediately resume his role as the Cardinals' leadoff hitter upon activation.

Brantley took some swings from a pitching machine Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

It's a step in the right direction for Brantley who has had a tumultuous return from shoulder discomfort that's sidelined him since early May. There's likely to be an update on the 28-year-old's progress in the coming days after he sees how he feels following the hitting session.

Cespedes (quad) is back in the lineup Friday against the Rockies.

Word of a quadriceps flareup Wednesday provided a bit of a scare, as the quad issue is something that's been lingering since before the All-Star break, but it seems it was simply a minor setback. Cespedes has been cleared to return following Thursday's off day, and will look to reach the seats for just the second time since the intermission.

Goins (forearm) is 12-for-42 (.318) with one extra-base hit during his rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo.

Goins has been eligible to come off the 15-day DL for more than a week now, but the team has decided to keep the tag on him. It doesn't appear the problem has anything to do with the infielder's health, so there's something else going on here. Goins struggled mightily before being injured and landing on the DL back on July 2, and utility infielder Darwin Barney -- who is a very similar player to Goins -- has been the better of the two this season. It's very possible that the 28-year-old Goins will stay put in the minors for a while.

Vargas is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger reports.

Vargas will get a day off Thursday as Robbie Grossman takes over the designated hitter's spot. In the past five games, Vargas has gone 6-for-18 with three RBI and three doubles, and has provided a nice bat to the lineup since being recalled from Triple-A in early July.

Cespedes' balky right quadriceps muscle flared up Wednesday night, which is why he is out of Thursday's lineup, ESPN's Adam Rubin reports.

It was already assumed that he was getting a maintenance day for the quad that has ailed him for a while, but it now sounds like Cespedes could miss more than just Thursday's game with the issue. Alejandro De Aza is getting the start in left field with Juan Lagares in center field Thursday against lefty Tyler Anderson.

Cespedes is out of the lineup Thursday against the Rockies, ESPN's Adam Rubin reports.

He will make way for Alejandro De Aza in left field Thursday, as the Mets continue to sit him once every four games in a presumed maintenance effort to ease the stress on his quad. Cespedes is hitting just .250 with one home run in 32 at-bats in the second half.

Cespedes went 2-for-4 with his 22nd home run of the season Wednesday in a 5-4 loss to the Cardinals.

Cespedes continues his terrific season, hitting a monster shot into left-centerfield off Adam Wainwright to give the Mets the lead in the seventh inning. Mets closer Jeurys Familia would later go on to blow his first save of the season, spoiling Cespedes the game-winning RBI. The rest of the Mets offense has been somewhat disappointing this season, as the blast gave Cespedes just 58 RBI on his .294/.366/.557 triple-slash line while batting third in the Mets batting order. Cespedes owners will be anxious to see if the Mets add a hitter to help out Cespedes with the trade deadline just a few days away.

McCutchen went 3-for-5 with a homer, a double, and four RBI in the Pirates' blowout win over the Mariners.

McCutchen lead the offense while starter Gerrit Cole threw a dominating three-hit complete game. McCutchen entered the game mired in a 4-for-26 slump, which he broke out of with authority. Despite hitting just .241/.314/.405 entering Wednesday's contest, the Pirates have kept faith in their star centerfielder, continuing to bat him third in the order. Fantasy owners should keep faith as well, and hope Wednesday's performance is a sign of better days ahead for McCutchen.

Cabrera went 3-for-4 with the go-ahead home run in the ninth during a 4-3 victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday.

His ninth-inning homer gave Detroit a key victory over Boston. The Tigers now trail the Red Sox by 2.5 games in the Wild Card race. Cabrera went 5-for-10 (.500) with two homers, three RBI and three runs in the series at Fenway. He is slashing .301/.382/.522 with 21 home runs, 60 RBI and 55 runs in 379 at-bats this season.