MLB Player News

Harper was named the 2015 NL MVP by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on Thursday, MLB.com reports.

Most fans saw Harper as the only logical winner, and that was reflected in the voting, as Harper was the unanimous choice with all 30 first-place votes. Harper exploded with a .330/.460/.649 slash line in 2015, leading the NL with 42 homers and finishing second with 124 walks. A case can be made to take Harper, who is younger than NL Rookie of the Year Kris Bryant, with the first overall pick in drafts in 2016.

Harper was named an NL Silver Slugger on Thursday, the first time in his career that he's won the award, the Nationals' website reports. "I just think I was healthy this year," Harper said. "I think that's the main thing. I was able to stay on the field this year and not have those little nagging injuries, like sliding into third base and [hurting] my thumb or running into a wall in Dodger Stadium. Just trying to be as smart as I could out there and just play the game the right way. It just comes with the experience of knowing when to go hard, when not to go hard, and just being able to be smart about everything I do."

The 23-year-old joins Andrew McCutchen and Carlos Gonzalez among the NL outfield winners and he could add to his hardware this offseason, as he's one of three finalists for the NL MVP award thanks to a .330/.460/.649 slash line and 42 home runs, 99 RBI and 118 runs in 153 games. Harper's 2015 season was historic for any number of reasons, ranking him alongside names like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire in various metrics and categories, and if he avoids the injuries that limited him earlier in his career, he could just be scratching the surface.

Turner revealed last weekend that his recent knee surgery included a microfracture procedure, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Speaking at Adrian Gonzalez's charity softball game, Turner said that a piece of cartilage had been torn off on the outside part of his knee, necessitating the microfracture surgery. He dealt with a bruised knee throughout much of the second half, but Turner believes the cartilage damage happened in the postseason. While Turner won't be able to run at full strength for approximately three months, he is confident he will be a full go at the start of spring training.

Brantley (shoulder) underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Monday. He's expected to remain out for 5-to-6 months.

Brantley initially injured the shoulder while diving for a ball back on Sept. 22 against the Twins. Initially, he attempted to rehab without surgery, but after seeking a second opinion, it was recommended that he undergo the procedure. Given the 5-to-6-month timetable, Brantley's Opening Day status is in jeopardy, and he's likely to miss at least a small portion of time at the start of the 2016 season.

Miller was traded to Tampa Bay on Thursday, Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Miller played in 144 games in 2015, compiling a .258/.329/.402 slash line with 11 home runs and 22 doubles. He showed his versatility as a defender by making double-digit appearances as a shortstop, outfielder, and second baseman, although the majority of his time was spent at short. He could prove to be a reliable option at shortstop for the Rays that provides respectable production at the dish.

Reed has been shut down for the rest of the Arizona Fall League season, Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle reports.

This move seems primarily rest related as the Astros would like to have the 22-year-old fully healthy come spring training. In 205 at-bats in Double-A Corpus Christi, Reed posted a stellar .332/.405/.571 slash line to go along with 11 home runs and 46 RBI. He will have to earn the opportunity to displace the incumbent first baseman Chris Carter on the depth chart, but if he winds up staying with the club during the regular season Reed could bring some value for fantasy owners.

Cespedes (shoulder) is in the lineup for Game 1 of the World Series against the Royals on Tuesday.

A bout of left shoulder soreness forced Cespedes from Game 4 of the NLCS, but he was treated with a cortisone shot last Thursday, and reported Monday that the shoulder felt "110 percent." Cespedes will occupy his usual spots in center field and the cleanup spot in the order against right-hander Edinson Volquez in Kansas City.

Cespedes' said his injured left shoulder, which received a cortisone shot Thursday, is "110 percent," the NY Post reports.

Cespedes had some discomfort is his shoulder while taking batting practice Sunday. But that discomfort subsided overnight and is not expected to be an issue moving forward. Cespedes will be in the lineup and in center field for Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday.

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (shoulder) believes that he'll be ready for Game 1 of the World Series at Kansas City on Tuesday, Adam Rubin of ESPN reports.

During the Mets' team workout Saturday, Cespedes was contained to leg work, likely due to the recent cortisone shot in his left shoulder. However, he relayed that the shoulder feels "a lot better" than it did at the time of his departure from Wednesday's NLCS clincher against the Cubs. In nine postseason games to date, Cespedes has managed a .265/.286/.471 line with two homers, seven RBI, six runs, and one stolen base across 34 at-bats.

Contrary to a previous report, Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes did in fact get a cortisone shot Thursday and is expected to be at the workout Saturday, per MLB.com.

It was reported that he did not get a cortisone shot, but now there is new information about how the Mets are treating the shoulder issue. The thinking is that Cespedes should be good to go after 24 hours, meaning he will likely be in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the World Series.