MLB Player News

Pederson credits mechanical adjustments made this winter with his early-season success, the Dodgers' official site reports.

Pederson is off to a .257/.316/.514 start, including a pair of homers in 12 games. His .14 BB/K is uncharacteristically low compared to last season's 0.54 mark, but we should see that rise considerably over the course of the season. The bigger concern is that Pederson has just three at-bats versus left-hand pitching, though manager Dave Roberts has not called this a strict platoon.

Stanton went 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored on Monday against the Nationals.

Stanton is off to a slow start this year, hitting just .238 early on. Although the slugger has three home runs in 42 at-bats, he has no other extra-base hits thus far. Stanton is a career .269 hitter and has prodigious power. His bat should pick up sooner rather than later.

Ruf is out of the lineup Monday against the Mets, Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice reports.

Ruf returned from a shoulder injury for Sunday's contest, but he'll head back to the bench with right-hander Noah Syndergaard taking the ball for New York. Ryan Howard will man first base and bat cleanup in his stead.

Pederson hit the game-winning two-run home run in Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Giants.

The 23-year-old is off to a nice start in his second full season -- he's slashing .257/.316/.514 through the first two weeks. Pederson's numbers at this point are slightly above where they were last year at this time, which is an encouraging sign that the young outfielder is making strides.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's game versus the Reds.

The lefty tied the game in the fifth inning when he bashed his second home run of the season, and he has now accounted for 10 RBI and eight runs scored over the last eight games. Carpenter's average still sits at a modest .250, but he is hitting the ball with authority and continues to get on base, as his .911 OPS will illustrate.

McCutchen went deep Sunday for his second homer in as many days against Milwaukee.

Unfortunately for fantasy owners, the solo home run was his lone hit in six official at-bats -- he twice was retired with the bases loaded. McCutchen is also still looking for his first stolen base after being thrown out for the second time in two attempts Sunday.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk Sunday at Philadelphia.

Harper's blast in the 10th inning could've been a game-winner had Jonathan Papelbon not blown the save in the bottom of the frame. In any case, Harper has been absolutely on fire, as he's homered in four straight games along with multi-hit efforts in his last three contests.

Cespedes, who has been the designated hitter the last three games, including Sunday, due to some bruising on his legs suffered when he jumped into the stands after a flyball Wednesday, should be able to play the outfield Monday against the Phillies, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Cespedes and the Mets have benefited from some favorable scheduling, with the team in Cleveland this weekend. The sore legs haven't impacted his swing, as he blasted home runs Friday and Saturday.

Soler was 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Saturday's 6-2 victory over the Rockies.

The Cuban-born slugger went back-to-back with Anthony Rizzo in leaving the yard in the fourth against starter Christan Bergman. Soler is seemingly awakening from a slow start to the season, reaching base safely in four straight and posting multi-hit outings in two of his last three starts.

Harper went 2-for-3, hitting his third home run in as many games Saturday against the Phillies.

The 23-year-old appears to be starting one of his signature tears, as he is 6-for-11 (.545) with three homers and nine RBI in the last three games. He also has five bombs in 10 games to start the year. It's obviously still early, but Harper is already well on his way to proving he was worth a top three pick in fantasy drafts.