MLB Player News

Harper (neck) remains out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Although his MRI results Saturday came back clean, Harper will miss his sixth consecutive game as a result of neck spasms. Even without any red flags on the MRI results, the Nationals may soon be forced to consider a DL stint if Harper is unable to return to the lineup in the near future. In the meantime, Brian Goodwin will get another start in right field.

Updating a previous report, Stanton (groin) is headed for the 15-day DL, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports.

Stanton was reported as a candidate for the disabled list earlier Sunday morning, and the recent update by Frisaro essentially confirms those intentions. Furthermore, Andy Slater of 940 AM Miami backs up the story as well. It's an incredibly tough break for the Marlins, who currently sit a half-game back in the NL Wild Card standings. Fantasy owners will also lose an asset that has posted a .937 OPS since July 1.

Stanton sustained a groin injury in Saturday's game against the White Sox and is expected to be placed on the 15-day DL, ESPN.com's Buster Olney reports.

After singling with two outs in the bottom of the ninth Saturday, Stanton tweaked his groin when he was thrown out at second base while attempting to stretch the hit into a double, ending the game. The Marlins evaluated him after the contest, and it appears the outfielder's injury is more significant than anticipated. Stanton's expected loss is a huge blow for the Marlins, who remain in the mix for a Wild Card spot, so the team will just have to hope that he doesn't miss much more than the minimum 15 days. While Stanton remains out, Ichiro Suzuki should slide into an everyday role in the outfield.

Harper (neck spasms) had an MRI on Saturday that came back clean and he remains day-to-day, according to general manager Mike Rizzo, MLB.com's Jamal Collier reports.

He is out of the lineup Saturday and Rizzo said that the team won't place him on the DL as long as they think there's a chance he could be used off the bench. Brian Goodwin is starting in right field again Saturday in place of Harper.

Cespedes (quadriceps) will play in a rehab game Monday and the Mets plan to activate him Thursday, ESPN's Adam Rubin reports.

This lines up with the earliest the Mets would be able to bring Cespedes off the DL, and he was essentially just resting the quad while the Mets took advantage of an extra roster spot over a 15-day span. The Mets don't have a true center fielder on the roster with Juan Lagares on the DL, but considering Cespedes' quad did not respond well when he was manning center field earlier this year, he'll likely get most of his starts in left down the stretch.

Harper (neck) is still out of the lineup Saturday against the Braves, the Washington Post's Chelsea Janes reports.

This marks the fifth straight game that Harper has missed with the stiff neck. He is day-to-day, although it's hard not to be a little pessimistic about his status, given the lack of optimistic quotes coming out of the Nationals' clubhouse.

Turner was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to a right hand contusion.

Rob Segedin will take over at the hot corner in place of the injured Turner for Saturday's matchup with the Pirates. There's no word yet on the severity of Turner's contusion, or whether he'll require X-rays. He should be considered day-to-day heading into Sunday's game.

Blackmon had a career night in Friday's 10-6 loss to the Phillies, going 3-for-4 with three solo homers and a walk.

The dynamic leadoff man went deep off three different Phillies pitchers. Blackmon has five straight multi-hit efforts, homers in back-to-back games, and is now slashing a jaw-dropping .449/.500/.898 over 49 at-bats in August. After only hitting two homers in all of July, he's now launched six round-trippers in just 11 games in August.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, two RBI and his fifth stolen base of the season Friday against the Dodgers.

He also made a highlight-reel catch in center field. Since the Bucs benched McCutchen in early August, he's hitting .273/.448/.409. He's also drawn seven unintentional walks in seven games. He collected just seven walks in his last 33 starts before the benching, so it looks like his plate discipline is improving. McCutchen is 4-for-10 with a double against Saturday starter Brandon McCarthy.

Soler went 2-for-4 with an RBI single, two-run homer, a walk and two runs in Friday's 13-2 victory over the Cardinals.

The 24-year-old's bloop single to shallow center brought Kris Bryant in during a five-run second, and he added a 386-foot solo shot to center in the sixth. Soler has hit safely in all six games since coming off the DL, with a double, three homers and seven RBI.