MLB Player News

Pederson hit the game-winning two-run home run in Sunday's 3-1 victory over the Giants.

The 23-year-old is off to a nice start in his second full season -- he's slashing .257/.316/.514 through the first two weeks. Pederson's numbers at this point are slightly above where they were last year at this time, which is an encouraging sign that the young outfielder is making strides.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's game versus the Reds.

The lefty tied the game in the fifth inning when he bashed his second home run of the season, and he has now accounted for 10 RBI and eight runs scored over the last eight games. Carpenter's average still sits at a modest .250, but he is hitting the ball with authority and continues to get on base, as his .911 OPS will illustrate.

McCutchen went deep Sunday for his second homer in as many days against Milwaukee.

Unfortunately for fantasy owners, the solo home run was his lone hit in six official at-bats -- he twice was retired with the bases loaded. McCutchen is also still looking for his first stolen base after being thrown out for the second time in two attempts Sunday.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and a walk Sunday at Philadelphia.

Harper's blast in the 10th inning could've been a game-winner had Jonathan Papelbon not blown the save in the bottom of the frame. In any case, Harper has been absolutely on fire, as he's homered in four straight games along with multi-hit efforts in his last three contests.

Cespedes, who has been the designated hitter the last three games, including Sunday, due to some bruising on his legs suffered when he jumped into the stands after a flyball Wednesday, should be able to play the outfield Monday against the Phillies, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Cespedes and the Mets have benefited from some favorable scheduling, with the team in Cleveland this weekend. The sore legs haven't impacted his swing, as he blasted home runs Friday and Saturday.

Soler was 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Saturday's 6-2 victory over the Rockies.

The Cuban-born slugger went back-to-back with Anthony Rizzo in leaving the yard in the fourth against starter Christan Bergman. Soler is seemingly awakening from a slow start to the season, reaching base safely in four straight and posting multi-hit outings in two of his last three starts.

Harper went 2-for-3, hitting his third home run in as many games Saturday against the Phillies.

The 23-year-old appears to be starting one of his signature tears, as he is 6-for-11 (.545) with three homers and nine RBI in the last three games. He also has five bombs in 10 games to start the year. It's obviously still early, but Harper is already well on his way to proving he was worth a top three pick in fantasy drafts.

McCutchen went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk Saturday against the Brewers.

McCutchen finally connected for his first homer of the season in the fifth inning to give the Pirates an insurance run in a winning effort. After a slow start, he's now posted extra-base hits in three of his last four contests while also hitting safely in four straight games.

Ruf is in the lineup Saturday, batting fifth and making his first start in left field.

Ruf had been slowed by a shoulder injury coming into the weekend, but he was able to come on as a pinch-hitter Friday and will be back in the lineup Saturday. He'll have the tough task of facing Washington's ace, Max Scherzer, on Saturday, but he's had moderate success in a limited sample against him, going 2-for-6 with a double and two strikeouts.

Cespedes went 3-for-5 with a double and two-run homer in Friday's 6-5 victory over the Indians.

The veteran slugger has started to come on after a modest start to the season, hitting .421 with two home runs and five RBI over his last five games. That stretch includes three multi-hit games and has improved his line to .286/.359/.486 on the season.