MLB Player News

Cubs outfield prospect Jorge Soler has a stress fracture in his left shin and will be in a walking boot for 4-6 weeks, according to MLB.com. Soler will miss the Futures Game and the Cubs won't say if he is done for the season.

Soler has been sidelined for Class A Daytona since mid-June after fouling a ball off his shin. He had a .281/.467/.810 line in 55 games before getting hurt. He is considered a top-50 prospect by Baseball America (No. 34) and MLB.com (No. 42).

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper homered, but left his second rehab game early after fouling a ball off his foot Wednesday. He was removed as a precaution and is expected to continue his rehab assignment according to schedule, manager Davey Johnson said.

Harper went 1 for 3 with a home run as a designated hitter. He has two hits in his first four at-bats in rehab. He has been out of the Nationals' lineup since May 26 with a knee injury.

Cubs outfield prospect Jorge Soler is scheduled to fly back to Chicago and have his shin examined, MLB.com reports Wednesday.  

Soler was originally listed as day to day for Class A Daytona after fouling a ball off his leg earlier in the week. He hit .281 with eight homers and 35 RBI in 210 at-bats in the minors before getting hurt.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt recorded a pair of extra-base hits in the club's loss Tuesday against Los Angeles.

Belt finished 3 for 4 with a single, double and home run, his eighth. He scored twice and knocked in two runs. Belt now has nine extra-base hits in June and his hitting .295/.353/.462 in 23 games this month.

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera homered during Tuesday's loss to the Angels. Cabrera went deep in the third inning to the opposite field off C.J. Wilson. It was his 21st HR of the year. 

Cabrera finished the game 1 for 4 with two RBI as the HR was a two-run blast. He's batting .368 on the year for the Tigers. 

Cabrera has hit in 10 straight games and has three HRs and eight RBI over that span. He's up to 77 RBI on the year. 

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper was able to play three innings Tuesday in his rehab debut for Class A Potomac, in the first step in his return from a knee injury. Harper went 1 for 1 with a walk, and was picked off at second after a double.

Harper will ramp up his workload in the coming days, but the team does not expect him to be ready to return by the start of a weekend series with the Mets. Manager Davey Johnson told MLB.com he hopes Harper can be back with the team by the start of a series against the Brewers next Monday. 

Nationals manager Davey Johnson said he's hoping Bryce Harper can return next week. 

Harper will play in his first rehab game Tuesday. He's recovering from a knee injury, and hasn't played since May 26. Johnson said he thought Harper could return for the upcoming series against the Brewers. That series begins July 1. 

Harper is hitting .287/.386/.587 in 150 at-bats.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper will hit second and play left field during his first rehab game Tuesday.

Harper is playing at Class A Potomac. He is still the youngest player on the team's roster, despite already establishing himself as a major-league regular. Harper will not speak to reporters before or after the game, so he will not give any updates about his health. 

Harper is hitting .287/.386/.587 in 150 at-bats. He's been out since May 26 with a knee injury.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley improved his batting average with runners in scoring position to .357 (20 for 56) with a two-run single in the sixth inning Monday against the Orioles. 

"He doesn’t change his approach," Indians manager Terry Francona said, per MLB.com. "He doesn’t try to do too much. He just stays with his same approach and he’s a good hitter. If anything, maybe his concentration is unbelievable. You don’t see him over-swing very often."

Heading into Monday's game, Brantley led the AL with a 91 percent contact rate. Brantley was also putting balls in play at a 79 percent rate, which was eighth-best in the AL, and his 11.6 percent strikeout rate was 10th-best in the league.

"He’s done everything that we’ve asked him to do, man," outfielder Nick Swisher said. "He’s hit in every slot from one through nine. And he’s such a pro hitter, man. To be able to have a guy like that, that Tito can bounce up and down the lineup to protect certain guys, obviously he’s shown his worth on this squad for sure."

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley had another big game against the Orioles Monday night in a 5-2 win.

Brantley drove in a career-high-tying four runs in the game. He's done that three times in his career.

Brantley hit his fifth home run of the season in the eighth inning for a two-run shot off Darren O'Day. He finished 2 for 4 and is batting .278 on the year.

The speedy outfielder, who stole two bases in his last game, has hit in four of his last five appearances. He's up to 37 RBI with 32 runs scored and seven steals.