MLB Player News

Cespedes (quadriceps) will play in a rehab game Monday and the Mets plan to activate him Thursday, ESPN's Adam Rubin reports.

This lines up with the earliest the Mets would be able to bring Cespedes off the DL, and he was essentially just resting the quad while the Mets took advantage of an extra roster spot over a 15-day span. The Mets don't have a true center fielder on the roster with Juan Lagares on the DL, but considering Cespedes' quad did not respond well when he was manning center field earlier this year, he'll likely get most of his starts in left down the stretch.

Harper (neck) is still out of the lineup Saturday against the Braves, the Washington Post's Chelsea Janes reports.

This marks the fifth straight game that Harper has missed with the stiff neck. He is day-to-day, although it's hard not to be a little pessimistic about his status, given the lack of optimistic quotes coming out of the Nationals' clubhouse.

Turner was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to a right hand contusion.

Rob Segedin will take over at the hot corner in place of the injured Turner for Saturday's matchup with the Pirates. There's no word yet on the severity of Turner's contusion, or whether he'll require X-rays. He should be considered day-to-day heading into Sunday's game.

Blackmon had a career night in Friday's 10-6 loss to the Phillies, going 3-for-4 with three solo homers and a walk.

The dynamic leadoff man went deep off three different Phillies pitchers. Blackmon has five straight multi-hit efforts, homers in back-to-back games, and is now slashing a jaw-dropping .449/.500/.898 over 49 at-bats in August. After only hitting two homers in all of July, he's now launched six round-trippers in just 11 games in August.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, two RBI and his fifth stolen base of the season Friday against the Dodgers.

He also made a highlight-reel catch in center field. Since the Bucs benched McCutchen in early August, he's hitting .273/.448/.409. He's also drawn seven unintentional walks in seven games. He collected just seven walks in his last 33 starts before the benching, so it looks like his plate discipline is improving. McCutchen is 4-for-10 with a double against Saturday starter Brandon McCarthy.

Soler went 2-for-4 with an RBI single, two-run homer, a walk and two runs in Friday's 13-2 victory over the Cardinals.

The 24-year-old's bloop single to shallow center brought Kris Bryant in during a five-run second, and he added a 386-foot solo shot to center in the sixth. Soler has hit safely in all six games since coming off the DL, with a double, three homers and seven RBI.

Stanton (hip) is back in the lineup Friday against the White Sox.

A bout of hip soreness forced Stanton from Tuesday's game and kept him on the bench Wednesday, but it seems the rest provided by Thursday's team off day did the trick. He will man right field and bat cleanup against lefty Carlos Rodon. Stanton has a full 200-point lefty/righty OPS split this season, with his mark against southpaws coming in at .977 (.777 OPS vs. RHP).

Choi is out of the lineup for Friday's contest against Cleveland.

Choi will get a regular day off after starting the past three games and seven of the previous eight for the Angels. In his place, Shane Robinson takes over in left while batting ninth.

Harper (neck) is out of the lineup again of Friday as the Nationals host the Braves, Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

Harper has not played since leaving the game last Saturday with a neck injury. There is still no talk of Harper landing on the disabled list, so he remains day-to-day for the time being. A chiropractor will be coming in on Saturday to work on Harper.

Miller's career-high 20 homers in 2016 have mostly been over 400 feet, his most extensive power display at any level in his career, Sam Blum of MLB.com reports. "He's got really good hands. He's really strong," Rays hitting coach Derek Shelton said. "What he does with his contact point and where he gets the ball is what enables him to hit the ball hard and get the ball elevated."

Miller has particularly been on a tear over the last two months, during which he's blasted 15 of his 20 round-trippers. The distance on those homers has notably shot up when compared that of the 11 he managed for the Mariners in 2015, which averaged 391 feet with an average exit velocity of 102.8 mph according to Statcast. Those figures have seen a boost to 415 feet and 105.8 mph in 2016, with the former number placing him fifth in the majors behind the likes of sluggers Carlos Gonzalez, Giancarlo Stanton, Trevor Story and Nelson Cruz. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that the has managed to nearly double his HR/FB rate from the 10.3 percent he managed in 2015, currently knocking 20 percent of the pitches he puts in the air out of the park. Although the overall power numbers are certainly a revelation, the Rays were aware they were getting a player with the ability to make hard contact consistently when they acquired Miller, a trait that is keeping him in the lineup despite the recent displacement from his natural shortstop position due to the imminent arrival of newly acquired Matt Duffy. "We did have a lot of confidence and were very optimistic about his bat and his overall play," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "And we've seen that. The actual home run numbers, I think you could say are a little bit of a surprise. He hadn't done that before. I don't know if he's ever hit 20 home runs anywhere."