MLB Player News

Belt (illness) was held out of the lineup but entered Wednesday's game in the ninth. He went 0-for-2 with a run scored in the extra-inning win over the Blue Jays.

Belt had a stomach virus that kept him out of the lineup, but the fact that he entered the game and played four innings bodes well for his chances to return Thursday. Make sure to check back once manager Bruce Bochy releases his lineup this afternoon to see if Belt is healthy enough to start.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a homer, his second of the season, three RBI and three runs in Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks.

The blast, into the right-field bullpen, was Blackmon's 500th career hit. Since returning on April 29 from a short stint on the DL, the outfielder is 17-for-51 (.333) with two homers, seven RBI and nine runs. Of course the team and Blackmon would never admit to it, but it's hard not to associate his lack of aggressiveness on the bases (2-for-3) with the turf-toe injury he is rebounding from. The 29-year-old has average 35-plus steals over the past two seasons and he needs to start running for owners to get a full return on his draft-day value.

Ruf could be sent to Triple-A if the Phillies opt to promote Tommy Joseph from the minors soon, Jim Salisbury of CSN Philadelphia reports.

Manager Pete Mackanin confirmed Wednesday that the Phillies have discussed promoting Joseph. He would take Ruf's spot in a platoon at first base with Ryan Howard. Ruf, who has an option left, has hit just .161/.210/.196 this season and has yet to homer. Perhaps some time in the minors with consistent playing time will get his bat going again.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk Wednesday against the Reds.

He's rounding into form after dealing with an early slump, with hits in six consecutive games lifting his average from .221 to .248 and his OPS back over the .800 mark. By the time the dust settles on this season, McCutchen should be sporting the numbers we've come to expect from him -- 20-plus homers and an average over .300 with plenty of counting stats. However, his steal totals have declined in each of the last two seasons, and as he approaches his 30th birthday (it's in October), McCutchen seems not to be a reliable source of speed anymore.

Harper went 2-for-3 with a base on balls and was caught stealing in Wednesday's win over Detroit.

The slugger's now been walked in seven consecutive games, with a Barry Bonds-esque 18 free passes in that span. It's no coincidence that Harper has only one RBI in that time; teams are pitching around the 23-year-old -- who's hitting .385/.645/.923 (yes, that's the slugging percentage) with runners in scoring position -- every time he comes up with men on base. That strategy will certainly artificially deflate his RBI opportunities, but Harper's going to rack up the stats regardless, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him try more steals to make teams pay for walking him. At least the Nats have moved the white-hot Daniel Murphy to the cleanup spot behind him, which should help -- it's hard to walk a guy when the next guy up is a .400 hitter. Harper's fantasy owners should, however, remain vigilant for his upcoming one-game suspension (assuming he loses his appeal).

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.

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.

Belt is not in the lineup Wednesday against Toronto due to illness.

Belt will get the day off, as the Giants go with Conor Gillaspie at first base Wednesday. Gillaspie will bat seventh in the order against Toronto's Marcus Stroman. Consider Belt day-to-day until the team says otherwise.

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.

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.