MLB Player News

Soler is starting in left field and hitting sixth Friday against the Diamondbacks.

This should become a fairly regular occurrence with the news coming down Friday that Kyle Schwarber has a fully torn ACL and LCL and will miss the rest of the season. Soler had a really rough spring training, and if those struggles carry over into extended at-bats over the first couple months, the Cubs have other internal options they can go to, but his playing time should be pretty steady for now. Matt Szczur and Ben Zobrist could also see some starts in left field going forward, along with Javier Baez once he's healthy.

Turner is back in the lineup batting third in Friday's game against the Giants.

This will be Turner's fourth start in five games, a pace we can probably expect all year assuming he's healthy.

Ruf will start taking fly balls in left field Saturday, Matt Gelb of The Philly Inquirer reports.

With the Phillies struggling to score runs, the decision has been made to have Ruf start practicing in left field. Current starter Cedric Hunter is just 1-for-8 to start the season, and the Philles need a spark after starting the year 0-4. This move could lead to more at-bats for the 29-year-old and potentially eligibility in the outfield.

Blackmon is back in the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres. He will play center field and bat leadoff against Colin Rea.

After getting the day off Wednesday in Arizona, Blackmon will draw back into the order Friday for the Rockies' home opener. Blackmon will look to shake off his slow start (1-for-9) against right-hander Rea. Last season, Blackmon hit 31 points points higher (.295) against right-handers than he did against lefties.

Harper went 1-for-3 with two walks and scored twice in Thursday's loss to the Marlins. His only hit was a solo shot in the seventh, the 99th homer of his career, MLB.com reports.

The 2015 MVP is off to a quick start through the first three games of 2016, hitting .300 (3-for-10) with two walks, two RBI, three runs, two home runs and a stolen base -- especially useful numbers for those in 5x5 formats. Harper's speed has declined since entering the league, but his power numbers have exploded, hitting career-high levels in 2015 when the 23-year-old smashed 42 home runs with a .649 slugging percentage. Owners can expect to see more of the same this season, as Harper aims to amass 100 RBI for the first time in his young career.

Pederson went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and two runs scored against the Giants on Thursday.

Four games into the season, we've seen a pretty familiar version of Pederson -- one who's off to a strong start and is showing his power bat, but has also struck out seven times in 16 at-bats. The enticing potential for a power-speed combo will keep him in fantasy lineups, but he's going to struggle with batting average again if he can't start making more contact.

Winker went 2-for-4 for Triple-A Louisville in his season premiere Thursday.

Winker slashed .282/.390/.433 with 13 home runs, 55 RBI and eight steals in 123 games at Double-A last season. Winker possesses an advanced approach at the dish, though he does not project to be a huge producer of either home runs or steals.

Turner is out of Thursday's lineup against the Giants.

This is just a standard day off for Turner, who has four hits in his first three games, including two doubles. Enrique Hernandez will get the start at third base and hit seventh against righty Jake Peavy.

Stanton slugged a two-run home run in Tuesday's extra-innings loss to the Tigers.

He also drew a walk over five plate appearances in the Marlins' season opener. Stanton gave the team a shot in the arm Tuesday and they eventually tied things up before losing the game in extras. Stanton showed no signs of rust despite missing the final 88 games of the 2015 season and remains a constant threat to leave the yard.

Ruf is in the lineup Wednesday versus the Reds, batting fifth and playing first base.

The 29-year-old ceded the start on Opening Day to Ryan Howard with righty Raisel Iglesias on the mound, but Ruf will garner the start Wednesday with the left-handed Brandon Finnegan going for Cincinnati. He dominated left-handed pitching last season, posting a 1.107 OPS against them in the 2015 campaign, so he'll look to continue that trend this season as he platoons with Howard at first base.