MLB Player News

The Marlins got a big contribution from outfielder Marcell Ozuna Friday, as he led the way in an 11-3 win over the Braves.

Ozuna had four hits in five trips to the plate Friday, including a pair of doubles en route to a four-RBI game. He scored twice as well, while avoiding a strikeout for the first time in six games.

Ozuna has been inconsistent recently, with three multi-hit games and four hitless performances over his last seven games. He is hitting .264/.313/.441 with 19 home runs and 78 RBI over 137 games in his first full season. 

The most notable part of Joc Pederson's first major-league start Tuesday is that it came with this comment from manager Don Mattingly:

"The one thing about Joc that everyone in the organization is pretty much in concert with is, this guy is our best defensive center fielder," Mattingly told the Los Angeles Times. "He's probably the only true center fielder we have at this point."

Pederson was filling in for a slumping Yasiel Puig then, but sure enough, even with Puig's return to the lineup, there he was again in center field Wednesday against the Nationals. Puig had moved over to right.

It's a big deal because, as I pointed out in my latest post to the Fantasy Baseball Today blog, Pederson was a George Springer-level offensive force at Triple-A Albuquerque prior to his promotion, batting .303 with 33 homers, 30 steals and a 1.017 OPS in 445 at-bats. Hitter-friendly league or not, those numbers are intimidating.

If his glove keeps him in the lineup, he could end up making a big contribution in Fantasy. Certainly in five-outfielder leagues, he's well worth a flier.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 4-3 loss to the Mets Wednesday.

After struggling at the end of August, Stanton's bat has heated up with the turn of the calendar, and he's now homered in three straight games to open the month. He has hit .295/.402/.566 with 36 home runs, 102 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 512 at-bats.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 4 with a double and a two-run home run in his team's 8-6 loss to the Mets Tuesday.

Stanton has homered in two straight games against the Mets to increase his National League HR lead to five blasts. He has hit .293/.401/.561 with 35 home runs, 101 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 508 at-bats, and with no one running away with the NL batting title, the outfielder has an outside shot at chasing a Triple Crown with a big September.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 5 with a solo home run in his team's 5-4 loss to the Cardinals Monday.

McCutchen put his team up 4-2 with his seventh-inning blast, but the Cardinals were able to cross the plate three times in the bottom of the seven to pull out a win. McCutchen owns a .308/.401/.539 line with 21 home runs, 72 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 458 at-bats.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton went 1 for 4 with a walk and a solo home run in his team's 9-6 win over the Mets Monday.

Stanton delivered the first blow in the high-scoring game in the first inning with his NL-leading 34th home run. He has hit .292/.401/.554 with 99 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 504 at-bats.

The Dodgers recalled outfielder Joc Pederson, second baseman Alex Guererro, catcher Tim Federowicz and pitcher Yimi Garcia Monday with rosters expanding in September.

Pederson closed out his first season with Triple-A Albuquerque by hitting .303/.435/.582 with 33 home runs, 78 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 445 at-bats.

In addition, the team activated pitcher Chris Perez from the disabled list. Perez has been out since Aug. 3 while nursing an ankle injury.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is still approximately 10 days away from resuming baseball-related activities, according to the San Francisco Chronicle on Saturday. Belt has been sidelined since Aug. 6 because of a concussion. He remains without a timetable moving forward.

Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler put together his third multi-hit game in a row to start his career Friday, in a 7-2 win over the Cardinals.

Soler went 3 for 3 with a walk, while clubbing two home runs and driving in three runs total. He has seven hits in his first three major-league games, including three home runs, while driving in six runs.  

As much as I wrote about Jorge Soler leading up to his promotion and the day it actually came, I'm at risk of beating a dead horse here, but now that he has a couple 2-for-4 games under his belt, I feel the need to reiterate: You want him in Fantasy.

Maybe in shallower leagues where every team starts just three outfielders and half the owners checked out at the All-Star break, allowing you to build up incomparable depth at the position, OK, you can let him go, but the impact he could make for you this time of year is worth the risk of him sputtering like so many of the high-profile hitter prospects who came before him this year.

And aside from George Springer, I'm not sure any of those prospects was as prepared for his promotion as Soler. True, he ascended the ladder quickly, collecting just 175 at-bats above high Class A, but he was no average minor-leaguer, having played at the highest level of Cuba. Once it clicked for him after a two-year adjustment period, the minor leagues couldn't hold him back. In terms of batting average, slugging percentage and OPS, he was neck-and-neck with Kris Bryant at the time of his promotion.

And unlike Springer, Jon Singleton, Javier Baez, his success wasn't accompanied by a worrisome strikeout rate. He'll strike out his fair share, like any young slugger, but it won't be the impediment it's been for them.