MLB Player News

Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf went 1 for 3 with a two-run home run in a 3-0 win over the Mets on Thursday.

Ruf is finally getting regular at-bats down the stretch run and responding well. The righty has four home runs, two doubles and 10 RBI over his last nine games. Ruf has always shown potential, but has struggled against right-handed pitching this season.

In fact, Ruf is hitting .164 against righties and .374 off lefties this season. The 1.091 OPS against southpaws is an absurd number and if he could just carry some of that power over to right-handed pitching, Ruf would become a fantasy asset.

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner has some swelling in his arm after getting hit by a pitch Wednesday against San Francisco, per Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. He is out of the lineup Thursday.

There is no news on x-rays, so it must not be serious.

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes (finger) remains out Thursday against Philadelphia.

Cespedes had to leave the game Wednesday after taking a pitch off his hand, but was given good news when only finger contusions were discovered on the ensuing x-rays. Nonetheless, it's not overly surprising to see manager Terry Collins give the outfielder the day off in order to provide his fingers with time to heal before the playoffs.

Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler is out of the lineup Thursday against the Reds.

Soler will sit for the second time this series. He has just one hit in the last seven days, so his lineup spot won't necessarily be a lock for every postseason contest.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter got on base four times in the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader against Pittsburgh, recording a double, a triple, two walks and three runs.

That's a 4 for 7 day -- with all four hits going for extra bases -- and five runs for Carpenter, pushing him to 101 trips around the bases on the year. He's been racking up multi-hit games lately like it's his job. Oh, wait, it is his job.

X-rays on the left hand of Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes came back negative, as the outfielder has been diagnosed with a contusion of the left, middle and ring fingers.

Cespedes appears to have dodged a bullet here, as a broken hand would have likely ended the year of the late-season acquisition. Nonetheless, Cespedes could be operating at less than 100 percent during the season's final weeks, as the outfielder could still have trouble gripping a bat.

With the NL East wrapped up, it wouldn't be surprising to see Cespedes get some rest during the last few games of the regular season. For now, at least, Mets fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes left Wednesday's game with an apparent hand/wrist injury, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Cespedes was 0 for 1 with a walk prior to exiting in the third frame after being hit with a Justin De Fratus pitch. Looks for the Mets to update his status when more information becomes available.

Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich went 2 for 4 with a double and RBI in a defeat to Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Yelich continues his torrid pace in September, having now reached base safely in 13 consecutive games and tallying 10 multi-hit performances during the month. He has been a terrific source of offensive production for a Marlins squad that has endured the loss of Giancarlo Stanton since late June, and he will close out the season with three consecutive months of .300-plus hitting.

Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf went 1 for 4 with a three-run homer in Tuesday's 4-3 victory over the Mets.

The veteran first baseman's first-inning three-run shot off Bartolo Colon was his third in the last seven games, and his fourth overall in September. Ruf has demonstrated some offensive pop in the form of 11 round-trippers over 252 at-bats and a .413 slugging percentage this season.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton (hand) Stanton (hand) was officially ruled out for the season by manager Dan Jennings on Tuesday, the Miami Herald reports.

It's been obvious for some time that Stanton would not make it back to game action after his rehab from a surgery to remove a broken hamate bone progressed more slowly than expected. Stanton was noted to have an abnormal amount of scar tissue in his left wrist and struggled to regain strength in thehand while taking batting practice over the last several weeks.

He'll now have a full offseason to let the wrist heal and get back to full strength. The slugger's 2015 season ends with a beastly .265/.346/.606 triple slash with 27 home runs and 67 RBI over just 318 plate appearances (74 games). Still just 25 years old, Stanton's first-round upside will remain intact in 2016, but it's troubling that he's played more than 123 games just twice in his six major league seasons.