MLB Player News

Cespedes clarified after departing Sunday's game against the Reds that it was a right quadriceps injury rather than a tight right hip that resulted in his early removal, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

Cespedes noted he first experienced the injury during Saturday's game but played through the issue before feeling his quad bother him again Sunday. He labeled his removal as precautionary, though he wasn't certain if he would be ready to play in Monday's series opener in Cincinnati. If Cespedes is forced to miss time, Brandon Nimmo would likely be the primary beneficiary of increased at-bats.

Carpenter is out of the lineup Sunday against the Cubs, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

With Carpenter receiving off for the series finale following six consecutive starts, Jedd Gyorko will man third base and bat fifth Sunday. After bypassing shoulder surgery over the offseason and addressing the injury through rest and rehab, Carpenter has struggled to regain his usual form through the first month and change of the regular season, limping to a .165/.320/.320 slash line through his first 122 plate appearances.

Pederson is out of the lineup Sunday against the Padres, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

For the third time in four days, the Dodgers are opposing a lefty starting pitcher, so Pederson will head to the bench as manager Dave Roberts stocks the lineup with right-handed hitters. Tim Locastro will pick up the start in center field in Pederson's place.

Cepedes left Sunday's game against the Rockies in the first inning due to right hip tightness, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

It was unclear at first what was ailing Cespedes, but now Mets fans have additional context to the potential injury. Consider Cespedes day-to-day heading into the upcoming three-game series in Cincinnati.

Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a two-run double and a walk in an extra-inning win over the Cubs on Saturday.

Carpenter laced a fourth-inning two-bagger to deep left that plated Kolten Wong and Harrison Bader, knotting the game at 4-4 at the time. The 32-year-old continues to struggle at the plate overall, however, as his season line remains a dreadful .165/.320/.320 through 122 plate appearances. An elevated 26.2 percent strikeout rate that currently serves as a career high and a .203 BABIP are undeniably playing a significant role in his season-long struggles.

Cespedes was lifted early from Sunday's matchup against the Rockies, David Lennon of Newsday reports.

Cespedes collected a single in his first at-bat of the day, and ultimately advanced to third base and scored on a sacrifice fly. The exact reason Cespedes left is unclear at this time, but for now he'll be replaced by Brandon Nimmo in left field.

Turner (wrist) will take on-field batting practice Sunday for the first time since suffering the injury, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Turner hit in the batting cages without issue Saturday, so this was the logical next step in his recovery from a non-displaced fracture of his left wrist. Should everything go on as planned, Turner would presumably begin a rehab assignment either this week or next, while still aiming for a mid-May activation.

Ozuna went 3-for-3 with a walk in a win over the Cubs on Friday.

Although all three hits were singles, it was nevertheless an encouraging outing for the prized offseason acquisition whose OBP still sits at an anemic .285. Despite a surprising lack of power to date (two home runs over 123 plate appearances), Ozuna has still been productive while compiling 17 RBI, and he's now posted multi-hit efforts in three of his last seven games.

Harper went 2-for-5 with two home run and three RBI in Friday's 7-3 win over the Phillies.

He took Nick Pivetta yard in the first and second innings, the latter of which traveled an estimated 473 feet. Harper now has 12 home runs on the season, including four in his last four games, and the impending return of Anthony Rendon (toe) to the lineup could give manager Dave Martinez the excuse he needs to move Harper back to the heart of the order from his current leadoff spot.

Manager Dave Roberts expects Turner (wrist) to return from the disabled list in the next couple weeks, Pedro Moura of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.

This is an optimistic timeline, as Turner has yet to embark on a rehab assignment and he's missed nearly a month and a half to this point. Regardless, this likely means that the third baseman hasn't encountered any setbacks, though a firmer timetable should emerge once he actually gets back into game action.