MLB Player News

Harper went 1-for-4 with a home run Saturday against the Cardinals.

The reigning NL MVP has slowed down a bit in recent weeks, but he remains an absolute must-start in all fantasy formats. Harper's average sits at .245, but he's on a nice three-game hitting streak with two homers over that span. His ability to get on base is also a plus, as his .420 OBP ranks eighth in the NL.

Carpenter is in the lineup for Saturday's matchup with the Nationals.

Carpenter was activated from the paternity list Saturday, and will immediately be put in the lineup. He will start at first base and bat leadoff. The Cardinals will face off against Gio Gonzalez; whom Carpenter is just 1-for-13 against in his career.

Belt (ankle) is in the lineup for Saturday's matchup with the Rockies, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt suffered a mild ankle sprain sliding into second base on Wednesday, which caused him to miss Friday's series opener. However, he will return to action Saturday batting fifth in the order and playing first base. He will face off against the right handed Eddie Butler, whom Belt is 3-for-5 against in his career.

Stanton (side) remains out of the lineup Saturday against the Braves, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Stanton continues to deal with discomfort in his side, and Saturday will mark his fourth consecutive absence. The outfielder took 15 swings off of a tee Friday and did some soft toss in the batting cage, but he remains without a definitive timetable to return to game action. Consider Stanton, who's struggled out to a slow start, day-to-day until the Marlins say otherwise.

Carpenter was activated from the paternity list Saturday.

As expected, Carpenter will rejoin the Cardinals after leaving the team on Wednesday following the birth of his child. In a corresponding move, the Cardinals DFA'd Ruben Tejada to clear a spot on the roster. The Cardinals are yet to release a roster for Saturday's matchup with the Nationals, but Carpenter figures to be available.

McCutchen went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBI against the Rangers on Friday.

Both of his hits were of the opposite field variety, a good sign, though he whiffed his other three trips to the plate. In fact, his current strikeout rate (23.3 percent) is much higher than his career rate (17.6 percent) and his .811 OPS is the lowest in eight seasons.

Stanton (side) did some work in the batting cage prior to Friday's game against the Braves, MLB.com reports.

Stanton took 15 swings off a tee and did some soft-toss work in the batting cage prior to the series opener in Atlanta, but remains without a definitive timeline for a return. He's batting just .214/.326/.481 on the season with 12 home runs and 26 RBI in 43 games.

Ruf went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI for Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday.

Ruf is hitting .256/.292/.628 with five home runs in 43 at-bats since being sent back to minors earlier this month. Tommy Joseph has gotten off to a solid start in the majors, so it may be a while before Ruf gets another opportunity with the Phils.

Ozuna went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Braves.

The 25-year-old continues to wield one of the hottest bats in the majors, now slashing .426/.455/.734 over 94 at-bats in May. The performance marked Ozuna's fifth straight multi-hit effort, while extending his streak of reaching base safely to 34 games.

Blackmon went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run Friday against the Giants.

The center fielder has been pretty hot of late, with hits in nine of the last 10 games and a .333 average over that span. Blackmon now has a five-game hitting streak to his name, and five of his 15 hits have gone for extra bases, so he's been doing a lot of damage at the top of the lineup in recent weeks.