MLB Player News

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper responded to suggestions that he should be demoted by smashing a walkoff home run Thursday to beat the Mets.

Harper slugged a two-run tater to left with one out in the 13th inning. It was his first blast since July 18. He had also singled in the 11th after making four consecutive outs that extended his slump to 4 for 30.

As I wrote back on July 24 and reiterated in this week's Prospects Report, the terms of Jorge Soler's contract are different from most minor-leaguers'. He's already signed through 2020, which should theoretically motivate the Cubs to call him up as soon as they feel he's ready so that they maximize the return on their investment.

And judging by his .286 batting average and 1.078 OPS in 14 games at Triple-A Iowa after putting together a .415 batting average and 1.355 OPS in 22 games at Double-A Tennessee, he's awfully close to ready.

But as CBSSports.com user "H4PPYGILMOR3" points out on Soler's player page, the terms of that contract aren't so straightforward. The 22-year-old can opt out once he's eligible for arbitration, giving his promotion the same financial ramifications as any other prospect's. Our own Jon Heyman reported it back when Soler finalized the deal a little more than two years ago. It's true.

Well, darn.

I'm not sure it changes all that much for Fantasy owners. General manager Jed Hoyer has said the Cubs prefer to stagger their callups, and promoting Soler ahead of Kris Bryant makes sense for a number of reasons. But with this correction, I'm reducing Soler's chances of contributing this year from "all but certain" to "likely."

The optimism that Pirates slugger Andrew McCutchen will avoid the disabled list seems to be waning. Clint Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Thursday that there's "a chance" he escapes that fate.

McCutchen has been out since Sunday with a side injury.

Indians top hitter Michael Brantley is set to play Thursday in Cincinnati after his removal from the Wednesday game with an apparent leg injury.

Brantley went hitless against the Reds to end a 10-for-25 stretch.

Recurring headaches have Giants first baseman Brandon Belt sidelined from the Thursday game in Milwaukee. He had come out of the Wednesday game with the problem, though Bruce Bochy told the San Jose Mercury News on Thursday that "he's doing fine today" and that his absence from the lineup falls under the category of caution.

Bochy added that he didn't believe the headaches were related to a concussion. Belt struck out four times Wednesday before being removed.

The Tigers have given slugger Miguel Cabrera a rare day off for the Thursday game against the host Yankees. Don Kelly is set to man first base.

Cabrera has been in a mini-slump with one hit in his last 10 at-bats. His .523 slugging percentage is more than 100 points down from a year ago.

Nationals manager Matt Williams said during Wednesday's pregame meeting with the media that outfielder Bryce Harper would not be sent to the minors in the midst of his struggles at the plate, masnsports.com reports.

"Bryce Harper is one of the guys on our team," Williams said. "He's a very important part of our team, just like everybody else is. Do we understand each other? It's not fair to the kid, it's not fair to the rest of the guys in that clubhouse to even think about sending Bryce Harper to the minor leagues to cause a stir. It's unacceptable. It won't happen. Is that good enough for you? Next? Thanks."

Harper has hit just .214 with two home runs and five RBI in 30 games since returning from the disabled list in late June.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen (side) and second baseman Neil Walker (back) were held out of the starting lineup Wednesday vs. Miami. McCutchen missed a second straight game, while Walker missed his first.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper's struggles at the plate continued Tuesday against the Mets, as he went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Since returning from the disabled list June 30, Harper is batting .214 with two home runs and five RBI in 30 games.

Nationals manager Matt Williams was asked during his weekly radio spot Wednesday on 106.7 The Fan if it was a "terrible idea" to demote Harper to Triple-A to work on his swing.

"I don’t know," Williams said, per The Washington Post. "I don’t think it’s stupid. Generally, if you have young players, that’s what you do. But this guy is a special young player. We all know that. It’s different. I think he works hard every day. He’s the first one in the ballpark, generally, to get his day going. He’s grinding. We’re doing everything we can to get a good feel going in there and help him with his confidence and all that. It’s not easy, but any stretch. But I don’t know if it’s a good idea at this point to do that, because it’s completely different pitching. We all know the big difference between Triple A pitching and big league pitching. It’s probably more of an option to have him feel good here, get it back."

Emerging Twins rookie first baseman Kennys Vargas ran his hitting streak to begin his major league career to four games by playing the role of hero in a Tuesday night defeat of San Diego.

Vargas slammed a three-run homer in the sixth inning to provide the entire offense in the win. He is 6 for 18 with a .556 slugging percentage and has earned the cleanup spot for the Wednesday game against the Padres.