MLB Player News

Assistant general manager John Ricco said Cespedes (hip) could begin a rehab assignment during the All-Star break, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Cespedes resumed baseball activities last week and could be back in action with the Mets for the start of the second half of the season next weekend if all goes according to plan.

Pederson is out of Tuesday's lineup against the Padres, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

He will sit with lefty Eric Lauer on the mound for the Padres. Enrique Hernandez will start in left field and hit second.

Reyes will be recalled by the Padres on Tuesday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic San Diego reports.

Reyes got his first taste of big-league action earlier in the season, hitting six homers in 29 games with a mediocre .228/.260/.457 slash line. The 6-foot-5 outfielder has shown big power at the Triple-A level this season, slugging .621 for El Paso, but will need to get on base more often if he's to receive much playing time in the big leagues. A corresponding move has not yet been announced.

Harper went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's loss to the Pirates.

Consistent contact remains an issue for Harper, who's hitting just .206 (7-for-34) over his last 11 games, but he's drawn 16 walks during that stretch and four of his hits have gone for extra bases (one double, three homers). He's already recorded his fourth straight 20-homer campaign, and given his 22 home runs through 89 games, a healthy second half will give him a shot at his second career season with 40 or more.

Carpenter slugged a three-run home run in a pinch-hit at-bat during a loss to the Giants on Sunday.

Called on to hit for reliever Brett Cecil in the eighth, Carpenter came through with a 391-foot shot to right that plated Paul DeJong and Yairo Munoz. The round tripper is just the latest taste of offensive success for the veteran, who's turned his season around by boosting his average 59 points since May 25.

Belt went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks, a double, an RBI and a pair of runs scored in Sunday's 13-8 victory over St. Louis.

Belt reached base four times after tallying three hits in Saturday's loss, upping his season slash line to .300/.393/.509 through 75 games. The 30-year-old's career-best marks weren't enough to earn him a starting spot in the upcoming All-Star Game, but he is one of the five last-chance finalists who can be voted into the Midsummer Classic. Belt is certainly performing like an All-Star for his fantasy owners this season, making him one of the better draft-day values at first base based on where he was being taken at the beginning of the year.

McCutchen went 3-for-6 with an RBI in Sunday's 13-8 win over the Cardinals.

McCutchen got off to a rough 1-for-15 start in July, but he has delivered five hits, two RBI and a stolen base over his last three contests. The 31-year-old is slashing a respectable .262/.345/.422 through 88 games, with just enough power (nine homers) and speed (seven steals) to maintain mixed-league value.

Pederson is out of the lineup Sunday against the Angels.

Dodgers manager Mike Scioscia will hold Pederson out against Angels southpaw Andrew Heaney and open up a start in the outfield for lefty masher Enrique Hernandez. Pederson's .866 OPS is his highest mark in five big-league seasons, but the 26-year-old is still struggling to hit same-handed pitching. In 34 plate appearances versus lefties this season, Pederson has managed only four hits.

Carpenter is out of the lineup Sunday against the Giants.

St. Louis manager Mike Matheny will use an exclusively right-handed lineup to counter southpaw Madison Bumgarner, with the lefty-hitting Carpenter giving way at third base to Jedd Gyorko. Carpenter had started each of the Cardinals' last 22 games and has been one of the top offensive producers in the league over that stretch, slashing .321/.439/.728 with eight home runs, 22 runs and 15 RBI.

Miller is out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves.

Tyler Saladino will draw his fourth straight start at shortstop Sunday and appears to have overtaken Miller as the primary option at that position, but the latter still may have a path to playing time at the other middle-infield spot. Jonathan Villar will get the nod at the keystone Sunday with lefty Sean Newcomb on the hill for Atlanta, but Miller boasts a .274/.348/.465 slash line and 123 wRC+ versus right-handers this season, a steep upgrade over Villar's .251/.297/.338 line and 70 wRC+ in those same matchups. That discrepancy might make Miller the preferred candidate to occupy the strong side of a platoon at second base.