MLB Player News

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.

Pederson is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Pederson will remain on the bench for a second straight game with another left-hander taking the mound, this time in Joey Lucchesi. Tim Locastro will draw another start in center field in his stead.

McCutchen (elbow) will play right field and bat second against the Braves on Friday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

McCutchen will not be forced to miss any time after exiting Wednesday's contest following a pitch to his elbow in the bottom of the fourth inning. The outfielder received clean results from his MRI and should be fully operational moving forward.

Pederson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Pedro Moura of The Athletic Los Angeles reports.

Pederson has been swinging a hot bat as of late, hitting .351 with 10 RBI over the past 14 games. He'll head to the bench for a night off to avoid a lefty-on-lefty matchup with Patrick Corbin, allowing the recently promoted Tim Locastro to pick up his first start of the season in his stead.

Pederson started in center field and went 0-for-3 with a walk in Wednesday's 2-1 victory over Arizona.

Manager Dave Roberts stated that Alex Verdugo would receive the bulk of starts in the outfield while Yasiel Puig (ankle) is on the DL, but he has been able to keep Pederson's bat in the lineup against a trio of Arizona's right-handed starters through creative lineup shuffling. Despite his recent uptick in playing time, the 25-year-old will likely head to the bench for the Dodgers' next two games against southpaws.

Harper went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, three RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 9-3 win over the Pirates.

Manager Dave Martinez's decision to move Harper to the leadoff spot has paid immediate dividends, as the slugger went yard for the second straight game and 10th time this year. Wednesday's blast was also his first career leadoff homer, pushing his slash line back up to .268/.464/.598.

McCutchen was diagnosed with a left elbow contusion after X-rays came back negative, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

McCutchen was lifted from Wednesday's contest after getting hit in the elbow by a pitch, but it appears that nothing serious occurred as a result of the incident. Consider him day-to-day for now as he eyes a return to the lineup Friday following the team's off day Thursday.