MLB Player News

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton hit two home runs in Tuesday night's 4-3 loss against the Blue Jays. 

Stanton hit solo shots in the first and seventh innings. He now has 21 home runs this season. Stanton is now hitting .333 with eight home runs over his past 10 games. He holds a slash line of .245/.332/.586 this season. 

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper provided the lone positive note in an otherwise dismal showing in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Yankees. 

Harper went 2 for 4 and hit a solo home run in the game. The homer was his 20th of the season. Harper also hit a double, giving him 13 for the year. The Nationals only recorded six hits all game, with Harper and Yunel Escobar accounting for four of them. 

Harper now has a slash line of .330/.465/.723. 

Dodgers center fielder Joc Pederson is out of the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks. Pederson has appeared in every game this season, and had started each of the last 22 games for the Dodgers. Manager Don Mattingly said Pederson was "worn down", so he opted to give him a rest.

The youngster has gotten off to a rather slow start in June, batting .229 (8 for 35) in nine games this month. So he'll get a day of rest with Chris Heisey batting leadoff and playing center field on Tuesday. 

Justin Turner is not in the Dodgers' lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the Diamondbacks. Turner fouled a ball off of his knee on Monday and was forced to exit the game shortly thereafter. He was diagnosed with a left knee contusion.

Manager Don Mattingly said Turner's knee was stiff, and was unsure if he'd be available off the bench on Tuesday. 

Alberto Callaspo is covering third base batting eighth on Tuesday. 

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen was back in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Brewers after sitting out Monday. 

McCutchen clarified Tuesday he was a little sore Monday, but he never said he tweaked his knee, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

McCutchen has been on a pretty good run offensively since May 7. He has a .377/.452/.679/1.132 slash line in his last 29 games. He also has one triple, six home runs, 12 doubles and 24 RBI in that span.

A nagging back issue that has plagued Indians left fielder Michael Brantley will not keep him sidelined Tuesday against Seattle. He is playing the field and batting third.

Brantley had been in left in only one of the previous five games. He served as a designated hitter in two others.

The problem has affected him at the plate in recent weeks. Brantley is on a six-game hitting streak, but has just one hit in all of them. He is batting .222 (6-for-27) since May 28 and his average has fallen from .348 to .302 over the last three weeks.

Marlins center fielder Marcell Ozuna hasn't displayed the power hoped from him this season after he slugged 23 home runs in 2014. But he has certainly gained a level of consistency in production lately.

Ozuna has embarked on an impressive hitting streak of nine games. He's batting .400 (14-for-35) during that stretch to raise his batting average from .267 to .289. He has four doubles in that run, but no home runs.

He hit all three of his homers this year in a five-game stretch in early May. He hasn't blasted off in the last 24 games.

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was forced to leave Monday's game against the Diamondbacks after he fouled off a ball on his leg while batting in the third inning. He sustained a left knee contusion and is considered day to day, the team announced. X-Rays on the knee were negative.

Turner was 1 for 2 with one run scored before leaving with the injury. He was replaced by Alberto Callaspo. 

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton blasted his 19th home run of the season during Monday's 11-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

The two-run shot came in the fourth inning off Marco Estrada. Stanton finished the game 3 for 4 with two runs scored and two RBI.

Prior to his three-hit game Monday, Stanton was hitting .239 with six home runs and seven RBI in his last 12 games.

The Twins are wasting no time getting Kennys Vargas back in the lineup after promoting him from Triple-A on Sunday. He is set to start at designated hitter Monday against Kansas City.

Vargas, who will bat fifth, returns with a slash line of .248/.295/.362.