MLB Player News

Phillies outfielder Darin Ruf began his minor-league rehab assignment Thursday for Class A Clearwater, as he continues to recover from a left oblique strain.

Ruf went 0 for 3 in the game with a walk and a strikeout, but made it through all nine innings without incident. Manager Ryne Sandberg told MLB.com Thursday he is a candidate to start in right field when he comes off the disabled list, with Marlon Byrd possibly moving to center. 

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter is working to refine his fielding, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Carpenter took part in extra reps prior to Wednesday's game. He worked with assistant hitting coach, and former third baseman, David Bell, and infield coach Jose Oquendo. Despite moving back to his natural position during the offseason, Carpenter has dealt with some defensive struggles early. Oquendo is quick to point out that though third is his natural spot, Carpenter did not play the position much last year. 

Manager Mike Matheny also hinted at Carpenter's lack of comfort transitioning to his play in the batter's box. "I don’t think you can take that out of the equation either," Matheny said. "Meanwhile, he’s still trying to get a little more comfortable offensively, too."

Through 132 at-bats, Carpenter has hit .288, with one home run.

First baseman Brandon Belt was pretty much the entire offense for the Giants in their Wednesday afternoon loss in Pittsburgh.

Belt gave his team its only lead with a homer in the first inning, then closed its deficit to 4-3 with a two-run double in the fifth. He has nine home runs this season with just 17 RBI.

Phillies outfielder Darin Ruf (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with Class A Clearwater Thursday. He has been sidelined all season.

Cubs outfield prospect Jorge Soler returned to the lineup at Double-A Tennessee Wednesday, according to MLB.com. It was his first game since injuring his hamstring April 3.

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon went 2 for 6 with a double, a solo home run, two runs and two RBI in his team's 12-1 win over the Rangers Tuesday.

The magical season continues for Blackmon, who is 7 for 24 with two home runs and six RBI in five May games. He has hit .358/.396/.610 with seven home runs, 24 RBI and seven stolen bases in 123 at-bats.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton was a fixture on base Tuesday, going 2 for 2 with a double, two walks, one run and one RBI in his team's 3-0 win over the Mets.

Stanton also stole his third base of the season in the win. He's in the midst of an eight-game hitting streak in which he has multiple hits in three of his last four games. Stanton has hit .295/.381/.605 with 10 home runs and 38 RBI in 129 at-bats.

Phillies outfielder Darin Ruf has been making progress in his recovery from a strained oblique while playing in extended spring training games in Florida, MLB.com reports.

"He's getting at-bats," manager Ryne Sandberg said. "I believe he's got four or five games under his belt."

Ruf has yet to play during the regular season due to the injury.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter has at least one strikeout in five of his last six games and has totaled 32 through 32 games, which is well ahead of the pace he set last season with 98 strikeouts in 157 games.

"He has such a good eye and knows his zone (but) those borderlines are getting called right now," manager Mike Matheny said, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "You see Carp fouling off tough pitches. I see him fouling off some pitches that he would normally square up a little more. Having a high pitch count isn’t necessarily a good thing when you’re getting pitches you can drive."

Carpenter, who is averaging 4.24 pitches per at-bat, is hitting .264 with a .314 slugging percentage after batting .318 with a .481 slugging percentage last season. Carpenter said he's still not comfortable yet with his swing.

"That’s the beauty of this game and especially my skill set -- even if my swing is just OK I can be productive too, get on base, take a walk, find a way to squeak a base hit in," Carpenter said. "That’s kind of been the story of my season so far. The swing has not felt great, yet. I’m trying to find a way to work counts, get good pitches and battle. The (swing) wasn’t great. It didn’t feel great. But in terms of being competitive, that’s one thing you can do everyday."

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton continued his assault on baseballs Sunday against the Dodgers.

Stanton didn't waste any time going to work. He smashed a two-run shot in his first at-bat to the opposite field. Stanton was actually bested his second time up, striking out against Stephen Fife. He rebounded nicely in the sixth, leading off the inning with a solo shot on a 77 mph curveball. He walked in his final at-bat.

Stanton finished 2 for 3, with two runs scored and three RBI. He's hitting .285 with 10 home runs.