MLB Player News

Stanton (hip) is back in the lineup Friday against the White Sox.

A bout of hip soreness forced Stanton from Tuesday's game and kept him on the bench Wednesday, but it seems the rest provided by Thursday's team off day did the trick. He will man right field and bat cleanup against lefty Carlos Rodon. Stanton has a full 200-point lefty/righty OPS split this season, with his mark against southpaws coming in at .977 (.777 OPS vs. RHP).

Harper (neck) is out of the lineup again of Friday as the Nationals host the Braves, Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

Harper has not played since leaving the game last Saturday with a neck injury. There is still no talk of Harper landing on the disabled list, so he remains day-to-day for the time being. A chiropractor will be coming in on Saturday to work on Harper.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 Wednesday, hitting a triple and a home run and scoring two of the Cardinals' three runs en route to their 3-2 win over the Reds.

Carpenter has been phenomenal as the Cardinals' leadoff hitter this season, getting on base at .414 clip. But Carpenter has also been hitting for power, his .553 slugging percentage being a career-best. The home run was Carpenter's 15th of the season, and the triple was his sixth of the year despite not stealing a single base.

Turner is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Phillies.

This appears to be just a routine day off for Turner, who has played a full contest in every game since July 5. He is not among the elite third basemen in the game, but he is in that next group, as his 21 homers are tied with Kyle Seager for eighth among third basemen and his .848 OPS ranks ninth among regulars at the position. Rob Segedin will get a rare start at the hot corner Wednesday, batting eighth.

Harper (neck) remains out of the lineup Wednesday against the Indians, CSN Mid-Atlantic's Chase Hughes reports.

A stiff neck will keep Harper sidelined for a third straight game Wednesday, with Brian Goodwin getting his first big league start in right field in his stead. The Nationals are off Thursday, so Harper will have a full four days to rest in advance of this weekend's series against the Braves. The team has been pretty quiet regarding the details and seriousness of the injury, so he should still be considered day-to-day until we hear otherwise.

Pederson went 1-for-2 with two walks, two runs and an RBI in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Phillies.

Pederson did a good job staying within himself and working his way on base while those around him did the heavy lifting. His 12.2-percent walk rate represents a career-low since cracking the majors in 2014, but still allows the patient young outfielder to contribute even when the hits aren't coming.

Turner went 2-for-5 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's 9-3 win over the Phillies.

Turner followed the examples of Howie Kendrick and Yasmani Grandal, as each of the three managed to hit a two-run homer off starter Vince Velasquez. The third baseman established a new career high with his 56th run of the season, and added to career highs in homers and RBI. A late bloomer, Turner has become a key piece for a contending Dodgers team over the past two seasons after being bandied about the league for years.

Stanton will be held out of Wednesday's lineup due to hip soreness, but the injury is not considered serious, the Miami Herald's Clark Spencer reports.

He went 1-for-2 with a RBI double and a walk Tuesday before being replaced by a pinch hitter, so something likely happened with his hip during Tuesday's game. Derek Dietrich and Ichiro Suzuki are options to replace Stanton in the lineup Wednesday. The Marlins are off Thursday, which will provide Stanton with an extra day of rest. He should be considered day-to-day in advance of this weekend's series against the White Sox.

Blackmon went 2-for-5 with a double, a solo homer and two runs Tuesday against the Rangers.

Blackmon led off the home half of the first inning with his 14th homer of the season in a game the Rockies would go on to lose. He's gotten off to a great start in August, as he's collected 12 hits -- two of which left the yard -- over eight games and he's slashing .308/.370/.485 on the year. He's currently posting career-highs in both on-base and slugging percentage while his batting average is just a single point short of his 2013 mark.

Cespedes (quad) took batting practice Tuesday, Matt Ehalt of the Record reports.

The Mets' slugger is continuing to make progress with rehabbing his injured quad, so it appears that he'll be back in action soon after becoming eligible on August 18. Until Cespedes returns, Alejandro De Aza and Brandon Nimmo will likely continue to split time in his outfield spot.