MLB Player News

Cespedes went 1-for-4 with a walk and a go-ahead, two-run homer in the Mets' 5-3 win over the Reds on Tuesday.

The 412-foot blast to center field came in the seventh inning with the Mets trailing 3-2, and eventually proved to be the game winner. Cespedes leads the Mets in batting average (.293), home runs (28), and RBI (70), and has been even better of late, going .321/.397/.679 over his last 15 games.

Stanton made a surprise return from a groin injury Tuesday night, delivering a pinch hit single in the fifth inning.

It's encouraging to see Stanton back in action, especially as it appeared he would lose the rest of this season to injury. Marlins manager Don Mattingly told reporters Tuesday that Stanton would be limited to pinch-hitting until further notice, so he holds little fantasy value until he's back in the starting lineup.

Manager Walt Weiss said Tuesday that Blackmon (back) is "close" to returning to action, Nick Kosmider of the Denver Post reports.

Weiss's statement is undeniably vague, but it does provide reason to believe Blackmon will be able to return to the lineup at some point over the next several days.

Ozuna (wrist) could play in Wednesday's game against the Phillies, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro reports.

Ozuna was not expected to be ready to return until Thursday or Friday, but it appears there is a chance he could get back on the field a little earlier than expected. Ozuna's status for Wednesday's game will be known when the Marlins release their lineup for the contest several hours prior to first pitch.

Stanton (groin) was activated off the disabled list Tuesday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

This comes as a surprise to many, as Stanton said that he didn't expect to be ready to play until the last week of the season. Given the fact the slugger hasn't finished full rehab yet, there's a good chance he'll only be used as a pinch hitter for the time being, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald. However, if Stanton stays healthy as the rest of the month plays out, he could be ready to rejoin the starting lineup by the end of the month. The full extent of Stanton's availability is unknown right now, but it should become clearer once it's evident how his groin responds to activity.

Carpenter is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Pirates.

Carpenter has been scuffling at the plate as of late (.452 OPS in his last seven games), so he'll get a day off to recharge and get back to his regular ways. Kolten Wong will man the keystone in his stead, while Matt Adams rounds out that side of the infield.

Blackmon (back) is out of the lineup Tuesday against the Giants, Nick Kosmider of the Denver Post reports.

It seems that Blackmon's back hasn't fully healed yet, so the 30-year-old outfielder will sit out of his fourth game in a row. Raimel Tapia will take over for him as the center fielder and leadoff hitter once again.

Belt is out of the starting lineup for Tuesday's matchup with the Rockies, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Between Belt's recent struggles at the plate (no hits in his last 18 at-bats) and the fact that he was hit in the helmet with a pitch Sunday, it seems the Giants want to give Belt a bit more rest as they gear up for a postseason push. Buster Posey will slide over to first base to cover his absence.

As expected, Ozuna (wrist) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Phillies, according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald.

It was reported Sunday that Ozuna would be out until Thursday or Friday, and it appears that timeline has not changed. Christian Yelich will make another start in center field Tuesday in Ozuna's place.

McCutchen hit his 20th home run of the season Monday in a 12-6 loss at the hands of the Cardinals.

McCutchen now has six straight seasons with 20 home runs, although is batting average of .253 is way down from the .292 mark he posted a year ago. McCutchen has just 60 RBI on the year, a mark that can probably be chalked up to bad luck, considering the Pirates are top-five in the MLB in on-base percentage, and McCutchen is hitting .295 with runners in scoring position.