MLB Player News

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt was held out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale against San Diego and could miss additional playing time as the team looks to shake him from his early slump. Belt has recorded just two hits in his last 13 at-bats to drop his batting average to .183; he has yet to reach the Mendoza Line this year.

"This isn't a case where he's getting benched," manager Bruce Bochy told the San Jose Mercury News on Sunday. "But we need to get (Joaquin) Arias out there, so (Belt) is going to miss a couple of games. He's been through this as much as anybody. The frustration can maybe cause you to change a few things and maybe add tension. When you have tension in your swing, that doesn't work."

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes did not hit off a tee Sunday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Cespedes will likely complete that assignment Monday and will take batting practice in Boston. 

There is talk Cespedes could play in a rehab game or two by the end of the week. Cespedes took two-handed swings Saturday and declared himself ready for games. 

No big secret here, but this Bryce Harper kid's pretty good. After slugging two home runs Saturday against the Mets, Harper has seven in the team's first 17 games, putting him on pace for 65-plus. It's probably fair to say Harper will not reach that total, but it just goes to show how little time it has taken for him to cement himself as a high-end Fantasy contributor.

After an up-and-down rookie season in which he needed 40 games to hit his seventh home run, Harper has been a model of consistency this season. After Saturday's game, Harper has at least 24.5 Fantasy points in each of the first three weeks of the season. It's nice to be able to pencil in that kind of production every week, especially coming from the No. 9 outfielder drafted on average.

You don't need a weekly notification telling you to keep Harper in the starting lineup, but it is nice to be reminded that you drafted a stud. As Scott White notes in his Hit Parade column, starting Harper is a no-brainer. 

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera was one of the few players on his team to record a hit on Saturday against the Angels. He went 1 for 3 with a double in the 10-0 loss. Detroit mustered just four hits in the shutout.

The 30-year-old also extended his hitting streak to six games in the defeat.

Cabrera has hit safely in 10 of the previous 11 contests and is batting .367 (18 for 49) with two homers and 12 RBI during that stretch.

Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper enjoyed another big day at the plate Saturday against the Mets.

Harper had his second multi-home run game of the season in a 7-6 victory. He took starter Jeremy Hefner deep in the third inning for a two-run home run. The 20-year-old then broke a 6-6 tie with a solo shot off reliever Josh Edgin in the eighth.

Harper added a double in the fifth and finished 3 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored and three RBI. He is 6 for 12 with four runs scored, two homers and three RBI in his last three games. He is hitting .371/.426/.758 in 62 at-bats.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton went 1 for 6 with an infield single during Miami's 3-2 loss at Cincinnati in 13 innings Saturday, keeping his batting average below .200. Stanton snapped an 0-for-7 skid with only his seventh hit of the season (in 43 at-bats) to actually raise his batting average to .163.

The 6-foot-5 brute also swiped his first base Saturday -- giving him more stolen bases (one) than home runs and RBI combined. Stanton didn't hit his first home last season until April 29 while finishing with 37.

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (hand) was able to take two-handed swings in the batting cage Saturday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Hitting coach Chili Davis said they were about five controlled swings and it was approved by the coaching staff.

"I'm ready," Cespedes said when asked about his return.

Apparently, the swelling has gone down enough for him to take two-handed swings and that is the biggest hurdle. He's not eligible to come off the disabled list until April 28.

The Astros announced Saturday that outfielder J.D. Martinez, who left Friday's game with a sprained right knee, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.

Martinez homered Friday before being replaced, leaving him with a .244/.271/.444 line and two home runs in 48 plate appearances.

Marlins outfield prospect Marcell Ozuna joined the lineup for Double-A Jacksonville on Saturday for the first time this season after overcoming a wrist injury he suffered in spring training. Ozuna was sidelined for nearly a month due to a fractured left wrist, but he appeared in four games with Class A Jupiter earlier this week during the final part of his rehab.

The 22-year-old who is considered Miami's third-best outfield prospect by MLB.com amassed 24 homers and 95 RBI in a full season with Jupiter last year -- his third minor-league campaign with at least 20 home runs. Ozuna could make his MLB debut as soon as 2014.

Astros outfielder J.D. Martinez was forced to leave Friday's series opener against the Indians with a right knee sprain. Martinez's right knee buckled when he attempted to check his swing on a pitch from Brett Myers in the fourth inning.

He immediately dropped to the ground and was taken off the field by team trainers.

Martinez, who was replaced in the lineup by Brandon Barnes, had a two-run home run off Myers in his first at-bat against the right-hander.

He is batting .244 and is day-to-day.