MLB Player News

Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper, who was out of the starting lineup Monday while dealing with shoulder and knee injuries, also reported soreness in his rib cage Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Harper is still considered day to day.

As expected, Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper was out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Dodgers. He's day to day with a bruised shoulder and knee after colliding with the outfield wall trying to chase down a fly ball Monday -- a collision that necessitated 11 stitches on his chin and neck.

The Nationals open a series against the Padres in San Diego Thursday, but Harper's availability for that game is unknown.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (hamstring) was able to play some catch Wednesday but has yet to begin jogging, the Miami Herald reports.

"I'm sure I'll be able to hit way sooner than I'll be able to run," Stanton told the Herald.

Stanton has been out since April 29.

Astros outfielder J.D. Martinez homered in the club's 7-5 victory Wednesday against Detroit.

It was Martinez's first home run since returning from the minor leagues May 7. Martinez is struggling with strikeouts -- he has eight in 24 at-bats since the return -- but the power has been there. He has four doubles to go with the home run.

Martinez is hitting .246/.274/.478 this season.

You may not have noticed unless you own him yourself, but the Cardinals' Matt Carpenter has found another gear since the start of May, batting .386 (17 for 44) with four doubles and nine walks. He's the fifth highest-scoring second baseman in Head-to-Head leagues during that stretch and is now the eighth highest-scoring second baseman overall.

This is closer to what I expected from the first-year starter coming out of spring training: a high on-base percentage and enough extra-base power to distinguish him at a weak position. He's not quite as valuable in Rotisserie leagues given his limited home run ability and almost non-existent steals potential, but even in those formats, his quadruple eligibility makes him a definite asset.

If you like what Martin Prado has had to offer in recent years, you should like Carpenter as well.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen homered for the third time in 13 games Tuesday against the Brewers. He had just two home runs in his first 25 games.

McCutchen has broken out since a four-hit performance April 30. He's batting .353 (18 for 51) with a .421 on-base percentage, .549 slugging percentage and .970 OPS in his last 13 games. On top of the three home runs, McCutchen has one double, six walks, seven RBI and eight runs in that span. His batting average has soared from .217 to .266 since April 29.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said during a radio interview Wednesday with 106.7 The Fan outfielder Bryce Harper, who is day to day with a bruised shoulder and knee, will not need further testing. He added he has no idea why Harper was nauseous, but he is still sore.

"There's no concussion, he's feeling better. He'll be ready to go in the next day or so," Rizzo said.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt homered for the second straight game and extended his hitting streak to five games Tuesday at Toronto. He's also managed at least one RBI in four straight games.

Belt is batting .467 (7 for 15) with two home runs, three doubles and six RBI during his hitting streak. 

Belt's hot streak, however, has lasted more than five games. His slash line in his last 20 games is .305/.627/1.024. He also has four doubles, five home runs, eight walks, 10 runs and 15 RBI in that span.

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera homered and doubled in Tuesday's win over Houston.

Cabrera finished 2 for 3 with two runs scored, a walk and an RBI. Cabrera now owns a sharp 1.060 OPS, second in the league to Chris Davis' 1.072 mark. The RBI was his 41st, extending his league-leading total to 41, with Davis' 37 checking in second.

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes may still have felt a bit sluggish from his recent illness Tuesday against the Rangers. He went 0 for 5 in the extra-inning game.

Cespedes is batting just .202. 

Cespedes, who has three homers over his last 10 games and seven this season, has just two hits over his last seven games. He's struggling right now, but he's managed to keep his strikeouts down.