MLB Player News

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley has been unable to get his bat going through the first two-plus weeks of the season.

Brantley went 1 for 4 out of the leadoff spot Thursday in a 6-3 loss to the Red Sox. Brantley's lone hit was a single, a recurring theme for him, as he has just one extra-base hit in 46 at bats.

Brantley is batting .261 with just one double. He has driven in two runs and scored five more, while walking five times and striking out eight. He has a solid .358 on-base percentage, but his on-base plus slugging is a subpar .641. Brantley is coming of a .750 OPS last season, with a career-high 47 extra-base hits. 

As expected, Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton returned to the starting lineup Thursday at Cincinnati after missing six starts with a shoulder injury. Stanton enters play Thursday with a .167 average and hasn't hit a home run through his first nine games.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy dropped first baseman Brandon Belt to the seventh spot in the lineup Thursday against the Brewers. Bochy said he made the move because other players, like Brandon Crawford, were hitting better and he hopes this move will take some pressure off the struggling Belt.

Bochy added he might keep Belt low in the lineup for a while. Belt is off to a slow start after a torrid spring, batting .180 (9 for 50) with no home runs and four RBI in 13 games.

Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper picked up a double and three singles in five at-bats in his return to the lineup Wednesday. Harper missed Tuesday's action with flu-like symptoms, and appeared to still be affected by the illness in the game despite the big offensive day.

Harper boosted his season average to .364 with the four-hit game.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen recorded his third multi-hit performance in the last five games on Wednesday night against the Cardinals. He went 2 for 4 with a pair of runs scored in a 5-0 win.

McCutchen singled for both of his hits and is batting .275 (14 for 51) with two homers, 11 RBI and five stolen bases.

Cubs prospect Jorge Soler's five-game suspension for a bat-wielding incident ends Thursday and he is expected to be back in the lineup at High-A Daytona, MLB.com reports. Soler was hitting .423 with two home runs in six games before the suspension.

Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper is in the team's starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Marlinsa after missing Tuesday's action with flu-like symptoms.

Harper returns to a .320/.382/.640 line in 55 plate appearances with five home runs and one steal this season.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is expected to return from a shoulder injury Thursday, MLB.com reports.

Stanton has missed the last five games with the injury and is out for a sixth consecutive game Wednesday. However, he has participated in batting practice and should be good to go without any long-term effects starting Thursday in Cincinnati.

Giancarlo Stanton remains out of the Marlins' lineup Wednesday against Washington, the club announced.

Stanton has now missed six straight games due to a shoulder injury. He has participated in batting practice each of the last two days and has felt progress, so his return is likely imminent. The Marlins being a four-game series at cozy Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati Thursday.

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer and drove in Detroit's first four runs, helping Detroit defeat Seattle 6-2 Tuesday.

Cabrera's home run came with two outs in the fifth inning off Seattle starter Aaron Harang and was his second of the season. Cabrera drove a pitch off the edge of the plate out to right-center field to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead.

It was Cabrera's second four-RBI game of the season after driving in four last week against Toronto when he also hit his first homer of the season.

"I thought we hit very well," Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. "We took advantage of a couple of breaks and shut them down good."