MLB Player News

Ozuna was removed with a left knee contusion Monday for precautionary reasons, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

With expanded rosters, the Marlins had no reason not to play it safe with Ozuna. But if the injury is indeed just a contusion, we should expect Ozuna to be back on the field relatively quickly. Consider him day-to-day for now, but chances are high he'll be in the lineup Tuesday as Miami's series against the Braves continues.

Carpenter will hit third in the Cardinals' batting order Monday against the Cubs.

Manager Mike Matheny used Carpenter in the three-hole for a week in mid-October only to move him back into the leadoff spot, but the Cardinals will give the experiment another shot. Kolten Wong will replace Carpenter atop the order Monday night.

Blackmon went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI in Sunday's 3-2 victory over the Padres.

Blackmon took Edwin Jackson deep in the fourth inning for his second home run of the series and 25th of the year. After threatening 20 homers in each of the past two seasons, Blackmon has elevated his power numbers this year thanks to a 39.0 percent fly-ball rate and 15.7 percent HR/FB ratio -- both career highs. The power boost has helped fuel his .313/.374/.532 batting line, numbers that make Blackmon appear miscast as a leadoff hitter, especially since his stolen-base total has declined from 43 last year to 16 this year.

Turner is out of Sunday's lineup against the Marlins, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.

Turner had a fantastic game Saturday as he went 2-for-4 with a home run. However, Howie Kendrick will cover third base while Turner sits out Sunday.

Ozuna is out of the lineup Sunday against the Dodgers, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports.

Since returning from a wrist injury, Ozuna has gone just 2-for-10 with four strikeouts over three games. With Ozuna out, Miami will head into Sunday's game with an outfield of Derek Dietrich, Christian Yelich, and Ichiro Suzuki.

Harper went 1-for-4 with a three-run shot, his 24th home run of the year, in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Phillies.

The eighth-inning blast came too late to get Max Scherzer a win, but it put the Nats nine games clear of the Mets in the NL East title race. After rebounding in August, Harper's off to a tough start to September, slashing .258/.314/.419 with an uncharacteristic 3:9 BB:K ratio in 31 at-bats.

Cespedes went 1-for-5 with a solo homer and two runs in a 4-3 loss to Atlanta on Saturday.

Cespedes is slashing .293/.362/.564 with 29 homers and 73 RBI and has been a critical part of the Mets' revived offense and postseason ambitions since returning from the disabled list in mid-August. While his 2016 numbers are a far cry from the monster season he put up last year, his production is at a level at a level where the Mets are happy they re-signed him and fantasy owners are glad they acquired him.

Pederson went 3-for-3 with a pair of bombs and a walk in Saturday's 5-0 victory over the Marlins.

It was the first time since Aug. 17 that Pederson reached base four times in a game. This was also his first multi-home run game since June 14. He is batting .249 with 22 homers, 58 RBI, 56 runs and five stolen bases this season.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 4-3 win over the Brewers.

The Cardinals were down by three runs early on, but Carpenter got them on the board with a two-run dinger in the third, shortly before Stephen Piscotty put them ahead with one of his own. Carpenter owns a career-best .917 OPS this season and has scored a run in five consecutive games as his club scraps for a postseason berth.

Blackmon (back) is returning to the lineup Thursday, batting leadoff and taking over in center field.

After missing several games due to some back stiffness, Blackmon will draw back in for Thursday's series opener in San Diego. He'll take up his usual role as the leadoff man and as the center fielder for Colorado. Blackmon has been on an absolute tear since the beginning of August, hitting .360 with a 1.140 OPS, 11 home runs, and six doubles over 114 at-bats.