MLB Player News

Cespedes (ankle) is in the lineup Saturday against the Braves.

He appeared to tweak his ankle on a pickoff attempt at first base Friday, but Cespedes remained in the game and has been cleared to man his normal spots Saturday. Cespedes has been the saving grace of the Mets' offense this month and really all season long, slashing .288/.358/.576 with 18 homers in 265 plate appearances.

Belt returned to the lineup and went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI and a run in Friday's 5-4 win over Philadelphia.

Belt hit a bases-clearing double to put the Giants ahead in the seventh inning Friday. He continued his breakout campaign that features an impressive .305/.410/.537 slash line through 72 games. The only criticism of his season could be the lack of steals after swiping nine bags in 2015. As long as he continues to produce in the heart of the lineup, his owners will give him a pass.

Ozuna is out of the lineup Saturday due to wrist soreness, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

The extent of the issue is uncertain, but a wrist injury to a slugger like Ozuna is bound to cause some concern. He has homered four times in his last six games though, so it doesn't seem this is anything that been bothering him very long. Ozuna has improved his plate skills significantly this season, resulting in 61-point jump in batting average from last year.

Ozuna is out of the lineup Saturday against the Cubs, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Ozuna, who's seen game action in 53 straight games, will cede center field duties to Ichiro Suzuki on Saturday. Ozuna continues to anchor the middle of the Marlins' lineup, going 8-for-19 with four homers over his last six games. He'll likely be back in center for the series finale with the Cubs on Sunday.

Turner went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI and a run in Friday's 8-6 loss to the Pirates.

The veteran third baseman plated Corey Seager with a double in the third and subsequently scored on a balk by Jameson Taillon. He then brought Scott Van Slyke home on a sacrifice fly in the sixth, marking his fifth multi-RBI game of June. The performance was a nice rebound for Turner, who'd gone 0-for-8 over the prior two games. He's enjoyed a nice power surge during June, a month that's seen him blast seven home runs overall.

Cespedes (ankle) will remain in the Friday's matchup with the Braves, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports.

It was originally reported that Cespedes was being taken out of the game, but it appears he will tough it out. He tweaked his ankle on a pick off attempt at first base. While he is remaining in the contest, his status for Saturday's tilt remains to be seen.

Cespedes left Friday's game early after tweaking his left ankle, Maria I. Guardado of The Star-Ledger reports.

Cespedes was attempting to get back to first base on a pick off play when he rolled his ankle. The severity of the injury is unknown, but it is not surprising of the Mets to exercise caution in this situation. His status going forward is uncertain, but consider him day-to-day until further information is made available. He was 1-for-4 prior to leaving the game.

Cespedes is back in the lineup Friday against the Braves, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

It seems the cortisone shot Cespedes received worked wonders, as he's ready to return to the lineup after missing just the one start. Cespedes was diagnosed with a left wrist sprain after leaving Wednesday's game, and it will be interesting to see if the issue affects his in-game power in the days and weeks ahead.

The Pirates could give McCutchen down time -- such as a three-game rest period -- if he doesn't snap out of his funk soon. "That could be an option down the road," manager Clint Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . "We've thought about a lot of different things, and we're trying them one at a time."

The center fielder sat out Thursday's game, with David Freese being used as a ninth-inning pinch hitter instead of McCutchen. "Freese has a much better on-base percentage (.370) right now (than McCutchen's .315)," Hurdle said. "Against right-handed pitching, there's a lot of numbers working to Freese's advantage." McCutchen is slashing .187/.247/.253 in 81 June plate appearances, while his strikeout rate of 25 percent represents a career-worst mark.

Ozuna smacked his 16th home run of the year, a solo shot, during Thursday's victory over the Cubs.

It was his only hit in four trips to the dish. Ozuna is sporting a robust .322/.373/.578 slash with 16 home runs, 46 runs scored and 44 RBI. The RBI total through 72 games has already matched his number from last year over 123 contests and he's just one run scored short of matching his 2015 total in that category as well.