MLB Player News
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Justin Turner DH | CHC
Dodgers' Justin Turner: Out of Wednesday's lineup
Turner is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Mets.
Turner has yet to provide much power or the high batting average that he has been known for in recent seasons, although his defense has still been quite good at the hot corner. Howie Kendrick gets the start at third base and will bat third Wednesday against righty Noah Syndergaard.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Nationals' Bryce Harper: Suspended one game for Monday's actions
Harper has been suspended for one game for his actions after being ejected from Monday's game, and he will appeal, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports.
He is still eligible to play until the appeal is heard, so there is no need to take him out of daily lineups Wednesday. He re-entered the field of play after being ejected from Monday's game against the Tigers to yell at the umpire, which is why he received the suspension. Appeals of this nature are typically processed fairly quickly, so stay tuned to find out when he will serve the one-game suspension, assuming he does not win the appeal. He is so dominant when he is in the lineup that this should not affect his deployment in weekly leagues.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Marlins' Marcell Ozuna: Three hits Tuesday extends streak to 10 games
Ozuna collected three hits in four at-bats during Tuesday's loss to the Brewers, driving in a run and scoring once.
The Marlins' offense scored just two runs in the loss, but they've been clicking overall during the past several weeks. Ozuna has done his part in the surge, putting together a 10-game hit streak (with seven multi-hit efforts) to bring his batting line up to .294/.344/.504 on the year after hitting just .229 in April.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Goes deep twice at Angels
Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in Tuesday's win over the Angels.
The 30-year-old now has four multi-hit games over his last five, and he has doubled his season home run total with three long balls in the last three games. Carpenter continues to bat leadoff for a Cards offense that ranks near the top of the league in most major categories, and his arrow is pointing up as we approach mid-May.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Nationals' Bryce Harper: Facing fine or suspension
Harper may be fined or suspended for re-entering the field after he was ejected from Monday's game against the Tigers, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports.
Harper was ejected in the ninth inning for his vocal disagreement with a called third strike against a teammate. He then joined his team on the field following a walk-off homer a few minutes later, and he was seen yelling at the home-plate umpire during the celebration. Red Sox manager John Farrell recently escaped with a fine for a similar offense, but Harper's choice of words may lead to a brief suspension.
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Reaches base four times in loss
Carpenter went 2-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored in Sunday's 10-5 loss to the Pirates.
In reaching base four times on the day, Carpenter boosted his on-base percentage to a robust .380. He's not quite displaying the same sort of power that netted him 44 doubles and 28 homers in 2015, but Carpenter's strong batting eye and solid contact skills should enable him to stick at the top of the order.
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Bryce Harper 1B | PHI
Nationals' Bryce Harper: Reaches base seven times in record-setting game Sunday
Harper became the first player in major league history to reach base seven times in a game without an official at-bat, as he drew six walks and was hit by a pitch in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Cubs.
The six walks also tied an MLB record held by a number of players, most recently Jeff Bagwell in 1999. The Cubs absolutely refused to give Harper anything to hit, twice walking him with runners on first and second and two outs in order to pitch to Ryan Zimmerman, but their plan worked out Sunday when Javier Baez hit a walkoff homer in the 13th inning. Harper has now drawn an absurd 30 walks in 31 games this year to fuel his .432 OBP; expect other teams to copy the Cubs' strategy until another Nats hitter makes them pay for it.
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Andrew McCutchen DH | TEX
Pirates' Andrew McCutchen: Sunday showing hints of turnaround?
McCutchen went 2-for-5 Sunday and narrowly missed hitting a homer when the ball went just foul. "You look for a day like today to be a tipping point in the right direction for Andrew," manager Clint Hurdle told DK Pittsburgh Sports. "Very aggressive swings today. Saw 28 pitches in the at-bats he had. He looked aggressive, very confident."
Prior to Sunday, McCutchen had slashed .188/.278/.344 in his last 36 plate appearances since a three-homer game in Colorado. He'll get three games in Cincinnati and three contests at Wrigley Field in Week 6 to help work his way out of his funk.