MLB Player News

Cespedes (leg) is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Braves.

Cespedes has been hampered by a leg bruise of late and he reaggravated it Friday, causing him to leave the game. He told reporters after Friday's game that he hoped to be back in the lineup Saturday, but manager Terry Collins will take the cautious approach and hold him out. Juan Lagares will take over in center field Saturday against Jhoulys Chacin and the Braves.

Manager Pete Mackanin said Ruf might play the entire series against the Brewers this weekend, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Peter Bourjos is expected to sit this weekend while he works on his approach at the plate. Ruf got the start in left field Friday and went 1-for-4 with a RBI. The Phillies are not scheduled to see a lefty this weekend, so Ruf should see two more starts in left field. If he has some success against righties, it could lead to additional playing time.

Cespedes (bruised leg) said he hopes to play in Saturday's game, but he was also walking around with a noticeable limp after exiting Friday's game against the Braves, The Record's Matt Ehalt reports.

The team will likely evaluate Cespedes prior to Saturday's game and make a final call on his availability, but it sounds like he could miss a game or two after reaggravating a leg bruise in Friday's game. Juan Lagares could start in his place if Cespedes is ruled out, or the Mets could go offense-first and give Alejandro De Aza the start.

Cespedes reaggravated a bruise on his right leg Friday against the Braves and was removed from the game, the Star-Ledger's Maria Guardado reports.

He suffered a bruise jumping into the stands earlier this week, and must have aggravated it in the field or on the bases Friday. The game was delayed due to poor weather in the middle of the eighth inning, but one of Juan Lagares or Alejandro De Aza figure to take his place in center field. Consider Cespedes day-to-day for now.

Stanton is back in the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants.

After getting his first day off of the season Thursday, Stanton will get back into the order at the cleanup spot for the Marlins' series opener in San Francisco. Stanton had been slumping a bit by his standards leading into his day off, batting .217 over the last week. He'll be facing San Francisco right-hander Jeff Samardzija.

Ruf is starting in left field and batting seventh for Friday's game against the Brewers, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly reports.

With a right-hander on the mound, Ryan Howard will assume his normal position at first base but Ruf will receive a rare start in the outfield, as the Phillies attempt to bolster their offense in any way possible. Ruf has been used sparingly as a pinch-hitter over the past few games, but did go 1-for-3 with a double in his last start against the Nationals.

Soler is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Reds.

Javier Baez will start at third base, shifting Kris Bryant to Soler's usual spot in left field for the day. Soler is just 1-for-14 over the last five games so a day off to recuperate could prove beneficial.

Harper went 1-for-4 with a solo shot, his major league-leading eighth home run of the season, in Thursday's 5-1 loss to the Marlins.

He's now tied with Trevor Story for the league lead in HR, and his 22 RBI is six ahead of his next-closest competitors for the league lead in that category. Harper is also hitting a scintillating .400/.414/1.040 over the past week, as opposing pitchers have been almost completely unable to get a hittable pitch past him. His 2015 was extraordinary, but it may only have been the tip of the iceberg.

Ozuna blasted a three-run homer in the first inning off Max Scherzer to lead the Marlins to a surprising win Thursday against the Nationals.

Like most of his team, Ozuna has struggled at the plate to start the season, slashing a paltry .200/.214/.345 in his first 55 at-bats. The 25-year-old hit just 10 home runs a year ago after smashing 23 in 2014. Last year's numbers are more likely to be representative of the type of player Ozuna is, which is still a valuable asset in many formats.

McCutchen, who went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts Wednesday, is batting .059 in 17 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

He's hit a pair of solo homers in the past week but has otherwise struggled, striking out 12 times in eight games. McCutchen is slashing .237/.348/.407 in the early going. He's gone 1-for-4 with a pair of walks against Thursday starter James Shields.