MLB Player News

McCutchen went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a double and three RBI during Saturday's extra-innings win over the Mets.

Currently sporting a disastrous .212/.286/.385 slash line through 199 plate appearances, McCutchen is struggling to find the form that made him a fantasy superstar earlier in his career. He's providing respectable counting starts with seven homers, 23 RBI, 21 runs and five stolen bases, but he also has just eight multi-hit games all season. It's worth noting that McCutchen finished 2016 well with a .284 batting average and .852 OPS over the final two months, so perhaps another midseason turnaround is ahead.

Cespedes (hamstring) was scratched from Saturday's rehab start with High-A St. Lucie after experiencing quad soreness while running the bases and will not take at-bats until Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

It's the last thing the Mets wanted to hear regarding the slugger, who missed 14 games with a quad injury last season. Cespedes will stay in St. Lucie until he's cleared to return to regular activities, but it seems he won't be returning to the big leagues for at least another week or so. Expect a new timetable on his recovery to be released after a couple days of rest.

Carpenter is not in the lineup Saturday against the Rockies, Jim Hayes of Fox Sports Midwest reports.

Carpenter will head to the bench for the first time in May after slashing .221/.371/.506 with six homers through the first 21 games of the month. Jedd Gyorko will slide over to start at first base in his stead, opening up a spot for Jhonny Peralta to start at the hot corner.

Manager Dave Roberts said Turner (hamstring) will need a short rehab assignment, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

While no date has been set for his rehab assignment or his return to the big club, the Dodgers are hopeful he'll be able to rejoin the team before the end of next week's road trip, which ends June 4 against the Brewers. A clearer timetable should become available once his rehab game is scheduled.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts Friday against the Mets.

The Pirates kept him out of the starting lineup Wednesday and Thursday in hopes of rebooting his season, but the initial results look pretty much the same. He struck out on three pitches in the ninth inning against reliever Fernando Salas and his 91 mph fastball. Manager Clint Hurdle moved McCutchen down to sixth in the batting order in hopes of taking some pressure off, but the outfielder is now slashing .167/.207/.256 with a 4:18 BB:K in his last 78 at-bats.

Stanton went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run in Friday's win over the Angels.

The first-inning blast off Jesse Chavez traveled an estimated 460 feet and caromed off the batter's eye in straightaway center field, giving the Marlins slugger 12 homers on the year and his first since May 8. Stanton may not have been putting the ball over the fence but he has been hitting, compiling a .317/.359/.467 slash line in those 15 games.

Blackmon went 4-for-4 with a walk, a triple, a home run and three RBI in Friday's 10-0 win over the Cardinals.

The homer was his 12th of the season and helped spark an eight-run rally in the eighth inning that put the game out of reach. Blackmon now has a career-high 1.007 OPS, and his 45 RBI leads the majors -- an impressive feat for a leadoff hitter.

Harper went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer Friday against the Padres.

Harper's 15th blast of the year provided the Nationals with a pair of insurance runs in the seventh inning of a home victory. Although he suffered through a poor 2016 season, he's back to being one of the top fantasy options in the league.

Cespedes (hamstring) went 0-for-2 and played six innings in left field in a rehab game Friday for High-A Port St. Lucie, Marc Carig of Newsday reports.

Cespedes also walked and scored a run. That he was able to stay on his feet for six innings is more important than any of his results at the plate Friday. If all continues to go well in his rehab, Cespedes could return for the Mets' next homestand, which begins Monday against the Brewers.

Turner (hamstring) could potentially return from the disabled list in the minimum 10 days, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Turner is dealing with a Grade 1 hamstring strain, the most mild form of the injury. He was expected to need two weeks initially, but he has been able to take grounders on the field and appears to be progressing better than expected. Turner is eligible to return May 29. Even if he needs an extra couple days, a return sometime early next week seems likely at this point.