MLB Player News

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. 

The Cardinals' Matt Carpenter, who was hit in the throat by a ball off the bat of Ryan Howard Thursday night, was in the starting lineup Friday against the Phillies. 

"It shocked him a bit, he was wondering how it was going to feel himself," manager Mike Matheny told MLB.com. "He came in early, and they ran him through a battery of tests and everything came out clear."

Carpenter went 0 for 2 with a walk in the the rain-shortened 8-2 loss, dropping his average to .267. 

Athletics manager Bob Melvin said he isn't sure when outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (hand) will be ready to come off the 15-day disabled list, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday. Melvin said Cespedes is still unable to swing a bat due to the strained muscle in his left hand.

Cespedes, who has been doing some running and throwing drills over the past few days, is eligible to be activated off the DL on April 28. 

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton was back in the lineup Thursday against the Reds, after missing nearly a week of action due to a shoulder injury.

Stanton was in his usual third spot in the batting order and out in right field. He went 1 for 3 with a walk while striking out twice. He also looked uncomfortable in the field, bobbling the ball twice in the outfield to give him three errors this season. The Marlins lost 11-1.

Stanton has found few opportunities to succeed, as opposing pitchers have walked him nine times in 10 games. He is batting just .182 with 14 strikeouts in 33 at-bats, and he has yet to hit his first home run.