MLB Player News

Hours after his manager called him the best second baseman in baseball, Matt Carpenter got two more hits for the Cardinals in a 2-1 win over the Mets Thursday.

Carpenter had a triple and a single with an RBI. He's raised his average to .327.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny called Matt Carpenter the best second baseman in baseball Thursday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

Matheny called Carpenter a "difference-maker" before saying, "he's established himself as the best second baseman in the league." He also gave extra credit to Carpenter for switching positions. Carpenter is hitting .324/.410/.470. 

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will be held out of Thursday's game with a hamstring injury. Cespedes did not play Wednesday.

He'll join Coco Crisp on the bench as the A's go against Yankees pitcher Hiroki Kuroda. Cespedes has hit .240/.307/.490 in 204 at-bats. 

Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen went 3 for 5 with three RBI and two runs in his team's 12-8 win over the Giants Wednesday. It was the third straight multi-hit performance for McCutchen, who is 7 for 11 over his last three games to bring his batting average to .297.

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (hamstring), who was unable to play Wednesday against the Yankees, took batting practice before the game, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. 

Manager Bob Melvin said the injury "doesn't seem to be too substantial." That said, the A's will not take any risks with him. He is day to day. 

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was unable to play Wednesday against the Yankees and is unlikely to play Thursday as well, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Cespedes, who was forced out of Tuesday's game with a hamstring injury, is considered day to day. 

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton hit his fourth home run of the season, a game-winning two-run shot Tuesday against Milwaukee.

The home run was Stanton's fourth of the season and first since returning from the disabled list Monday. Stanton got off to a slow start in April last year as well -- just one home run in his first 21 games -- so he could still make a run at some big power numbers. Stanton hit 23 home runs in 63 games from June 12 through the end of the season last year.

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was forced out of Tuesday's game against the Yankees in the third inning with left hamstring tightness.

Cespedes finished 0 for 1 and was replaced by Seth Smith at left field. The team told reporters Cespedes left for "precautionary measures" and is listed as day to day. He is hitting .240 in 52 games played.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper had a platelet-rich plasma injection and cortisone shot in his left knee, after Dr. James Andrews confirmed the team's diagnosis of patella bursitis, according to The Washington Times.

Harper, who has been dealing with swelling and inflammation for two weeks as a result of the injury, will be in a large brace for at least a week. The brace is just to immobilize his knee while he rests. Nationals head trainer Lee Kuntz said that the team is pleased with the state of Harper's injury, especially since he did not require any type of surgical fix.

“He didn't have surgery, contrary to popular belief," Kuntz said. "These are all good things. We want him to rest the knee, that's why we put him in the immobilizer. We'll re-evaluate him in one week's time and if everything's a go, then we will resume activity with him and get him going as quickly as we can."

Harper has been out since May 26 due to this injury, and he will likely need to go on a minor-league rehab assignment once he is cleared for baseball activities next week. 

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper had "no operative procedures" at his visit with Dr. James Andrews Monday, according to The Washington Post. 

Harper's agent, Scott Boras, said the knee brace Harper was wearing in a picture is "precautionary" and is only meant to keep the knee "immobile." Boras said he couldn't comment any further on the severity of the injury, only saying Harper would be on a physical therapy plan. A source close to Harper said he was "upbeat" after the visit. 

Harper has been sidelined since May 26 with the knee injury.