MLB Player News

Cubs right fielder Jorge Soler is encouraged by the progress he's made in returning from a sprained left ankle that landed him on the 15-day disabled list, June 3. 

Soler is wearing a walking boot, but he hopes to have it removed soon and plans to be ready on June 18, when he's eligible to return from the DL. 

"I’m going to keep working hard to get back,” Soler said, per ESPN. “[Hopefully] I feel good after my 15-days."

Nationals third baseman Yunel Escobar was not in the starting lineup again for Saturday's game against the Cubs. As a result, manager Matt Williams started Clint Robinson in left field, and moved Ryan Zimmerman to the No. 2 hole in the order, followed by Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon at cleanup.

Escobar has now missed back-to-back games after suffering a wrist injury while checking his swing during Thursday's contest. He is expected to rest again on Sunday and will try to test his wrist by taking light swings over the weekend, per the Washington Post. He is hitting .316/.376/.389 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 190 at-bats.

Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Friday's 10-8 win over the Braves.

McCutchen has now hit safely in six straight and nine of his last 10 games.

Dodgers hot-hitting third baseman Justin Turner is out of the lineup Friday against St. Louis. Alberto Callaspo is taking his place.

Turner has four two-hit performances in the last eight games and owns a .303/.381/.496 slash line.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt and shortstop Brandon Crawford (calf) both returned to the starting lineup Friday night against Philadelphia, per MLB.com.

Both players received the day off on Thursday. Belt, who is batting fifth, is hitting .306 with seven homers and 24 RBI on the year. Crawford, who is batting sixth, is hitting .293 with eight homers and 37 RBI on the year.

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon went 4 for 5 from the plate in Wednesday's 7-6 win against the Dodgers. 

Blackmon hit two doubles, giving him a total of eight for the season. One of those was a ground-rule double during Colorado's rally in the ninth inning.

It's the first time he's recorded four hits in a game this season and the eighth time he's hit four in a game in his career. 

Blackmon also stole a base, his 11th of the season. He scored two runs and now has a slash line of .262/.339/.431. 

Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson hit another home run in Wednesday night's 7-6 loss over the Rockies. 

For Pederson, he has now hit a home run in five consecutive games. This is the first time a Dodgers rookie has ever accomplished this feat. Pederson finished the game 2 for 3, drew a walk and scored three runs. 

Pederson holds a slash line of .267/.393/.606 for the season. 

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton hit his 17th home run of the season in Wednesday night's 7-3 win over the Cubs. 

Stanton has not hit homers in two consecutive games. Wednesday's home run came in the fifth inning and was hit off of Jon Lester. He finished the game 1 for 3 and also drew a walk. 

Stanton now has a slash line of .231/.325/.533 this season. 

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter collected two RBI to help lead the Cardinals to a 7-4 victory over the Brewers on Wednesday.

Carpenter finished the game 2 for 4 with one run scored. Carpenter drove in the two runs when he singled off Jimmy Nelson in the fourth inning.

He is now batting .314 on the season. Over his last six games, Carpenter is 6 for 19 with two RBI.

The Cubs have placed right fielder Jorge Soler on the 15-day disabled list with a left ankle sprain. Soler initially injured the ankle after twisting it on Monday. 

Outfielder Mike Baxter is being recalled from Triple-A to take Soler's spot on the 25-man roster, according to CSN Chicago.

Manager Joe Maddon expects Soler to be out for 2-3 weeks, ESPN.com reports.