MLB Player News

Blackmon homered and scored twice in a 1-for-3 game with a walk Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Blackmon extended his hitting streak to nine games, now including four home runs to go with three doubles and two triples. He was already having a career year before this streak. Tuesday's performance pushed Blackmon's line up to .320/.380/.555 as he is establishing himself as a potential All-Star heading into 2017.

Stanton went 1-for-2 with a walk and a home run in a 1-0 win over the Nationals on Tuesday.

Stanton provided all the offense for the Marlins as they managed just three hits all night off Tanner Roark and the Nationals. It's Stanton's second straight day with a home run, bringing his total to 27 on the season to match his total from last year, although that was accomplished in just 74 games.

Harper has been dealing with an ailing shoulder/neck for the past two months, Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci reports.

Since the start of July (approximately when the injury occurred, according to Verducci's report), Harper has hit .227/.344/.391 with eight home runs in 270 plate appearances, so his lack of production over that span certainly seems to back up the report that he is playing hurt. Manager Dusty Baker took issue with Verducci's report Tuesday, but that should not come as a surprise, as Baker has been tight-lipped about Harper's status all season and he was likely upset that Verducci found a source close to Harper who was willing to talk. Assuming this report is accurate, it goes a long way toward explaining Harper's struggles this year, which is good news for his owners in keeper leagues but bad news for anyone expecting him to turn things around over the final two weeks of the season.

Carpenter is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Rockies.

Carpenter has only sat out of one game this month, so he'll get the night off with left-hander Jorge De La Rosa taking the mound for Colorado. Matt Adams will fill in at first base in his stead.

Stanton will start in right field Tuesday for the second day in a row, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Tuesday's start will be the third Stanton has made since returning to action Sept. 6, and will mark the first time he has been in the lineup back-to-back days since Aug. 12 and 13. He was taken out of Monday's game after walking in his third plate appearance, but he looked plenty healthy blasting a long home run earlier in the game.

Stanton went 1-for-2 with a walk and a monstrous solo homer in a 4-3 win over the Nationals on Monday.

Staton's 26th homer of the season traveled roughly 466 feet to left field. It's been a rough 2016 campaign for Stanton, whose batting average is only .244, the lowest of his career. His .497 slugging percentage is also down significantly from the .606 mark he posted in 2015, when he hit 27 home runs in just 74 games.

Pederson is not in the lineup Monday against the Giants.

Lefty Madison Bumgarner is toeing the rubber for San Francisco on Monday evening, so Pederson will retreat to the bench for a night off. Enrique Hernandez will replace him in center field for the night.

Soler (side) could be available off the bench as soon as Wednesday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN reports.

Solar reportedly could also return to the starting lineup by the weekend, which makes it seem as though the Cuban outfielder's side has improved significantly from Friday, when he initially injured himself. His ailment is still fairly vague, so it's unclear whether his injury could be easily aggravated in the coming days, but this development is good news for the Cubs and fantasy owners nonetheless.

Cespedes (illness) is in the lineup for Monday's game against the Braves, MLB.com's Anthony DiComo reports.

Cespedes was forced from Sunday's game after experiencing dizziness, but he will be back in his usual starting spot in left field just one day later, hitting third against Braves starter Aaron Blair.

Harper is not in the lineup Monday against the Marlins, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.

With the Nats comfortably atop the NL East, they'll rest the reigning NL MVP in preparation for the postseason. Harper hit an encouraging .310 in the month of August, but his struggles have returned in September, as he's hitting just .184 with one home run, seven RBI and 16 strikeouts across 49 at-bats.