MLB Player News

Nationals slugger Bryce Harper was pulled from the game Wednesday night in St. Louis for reasons not yet revealed.

Harper did not run out a popout leading off the fourth and was replaced in the bottom of the inning, but it remains to be seen if that was the motivation for Matt Williams to take him out.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton is expected to test out his surgically repaired wrist by swinging a bat on Wednesday. 

If Stanton reports no issues, he could play in a rehab game for Class A Jupiter on Wednesday night, according to MLB.com. 

Stanton, of course, has been sidelined for over two months with a broken wrist. The team had been hopeful for his return on Friday, but there has been no word as to whether that will happen or not.

Phillies first baseman Darin Ruf drove in a season-high six runs to help send the Phillies to a 14-8 win over the Mets on Tuesday.

Ruf went 3 for 5 at the plate with six RBI and two runs scored. His biggest hit came in the third when he connected for a three-run shot off Jonathon Niese.

Hope that Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton can return by his Friday target date has faded, per MLB.com.

Stanton said Tuesday he felt "not 100 percent."

A broken hand has prevented Stanton from playing since June 26. He has not played in any rehab games.

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes stayed red-hot at the plate on Thursday, as he connected on a two-run home run in the 9-5 win over the Phillies. Cespedes' home run came in the fifth inning, as the Mets stormed back to erase a five-run deficit.

The home run was Cespdes' only hit of the night, but it was his eighth longball since coming to the Mets at the July 31 trade deadline. Perhaps even more impressively, over his last eight games, Cespedes is batting .350 with six home runs and 15 RBI. He has certainly been a catalyst for the Mets' recent upswing.

Andrew McCutchen had a big night at the plate for the Pirates, driving in four runs to help his team cruise to a victory over the Marlins. 

McCutchen got the Pirates on the board with a first-inning double and followed that with a three-run homer in the second as Pittsburgh opened a 7-1 lead. McCutchen now has five home runs and 19 RBIs in August. 

With his 20th home run, McCutchen has now reached that benchmark in five straight seasons.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton could be nearing a return from a broken hand. Stanton, who has been on on the disabled list since the end of June, is hoping to return by September 4 against the Mets, according to MLB.com.

"I'm feeling good," Stanton said on Tuesday. "I'd say I'm still about a week and a half [away]."

Stanton is not expected to play in any rehab games, mainly due to the fact that the minor-league schedule is starting to wrap up. 

"I know he's been progressing in a good way," manager Dan Jennings said. "I had a good visit with him [Monday]. He told me he was feeling stronger, didn't feel it when he turned his wrist. That's a good sign."

Despite missing two months with the injury, Stanton still ranks fifth in the National League with 27 home runs.

The Cubs have placed outfielder Jorge Soler on the 15-day disabled list with an oblique strain, an injury that could sideline him for one month, per the Chicago Tribune. 

Soler had been hitting .284 in August, with two home runs and 14 RBIs. He's played in 90 games for Chicago this season, hitting .265 with 42 RBIs. 

Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter was ejected from Saturday's game against the Padres. Carpenter was tossed for arguing balls and strikes in the fifth inning. He was 0 for 3 prior to the ejection.

Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes had a huge night at the plate in Friday's 14-9 thrashing of the Rockies. Cespedes went 5 for 6 with three home runs, seven RBI, five runs scored, a double and a stolen base. 

Cespedes took full advantage of the thin air in Coors Field, as he recorded career-highs in hits, home runs and RBI in this one. He entered the game with two home runs since joining the Mets at last month's trade deadline. The three longballs give him 23 on the year.

Cespedes crushed a grand slam--the second of his career--in the second inning. He added a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run bomb in the sixth. He attempted to become the first player in MLB history to hit a home run cycle (a solo home run, two-run homer, three-run shot and grand slam), but he fell just short of that feat.