MLB Player News

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg did not have an update Tuesday on the status of outfielder/first baseman Darin Ruf, who is on the disabled list with an oblique injury. Ruf remains at the team's spring complex in Florida.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is off to a torrid start, batting .345 with two home runs, three doubles and 12 RBI in seven games.

Stanton has been among the best power-hitting outfielders in the majors for a few years, but Marlins manager Mike Redmond went on MLB Network Radio Tuesday morning to explain why Stanton is locked in offensively at the beginning of the season.

"He's really confident right now, but he doesn't feel the pressure to do everything. Now we have guys that can help him," Redmond said.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt continued his torrid start to the season with a solo home run off Zack Greinke in a 6-2 defeat to the Dodgers on Sunday.

Belt took Greinke deep in the sixth inning for his fourth home run of the season. He added a single and finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. He is hitting .323 (10 for 31) with four homers and seven RBI in his first seven games.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is not in the team's starting lineup Sunday.

Harper will get a rest after collecting three hits in 21 at-bats to open the year. He expressed his frustrations following the team's Saturday night loss to the Braves. Harper should return to action Monday.

Second baseman Matt Carpenter was pretty much the entire Cardinals offense Friday against Pittsburgh.

Carpenter drove in both runs with a home run in the fifth inning against Pirates starter Gerrit Cole. He had already led off the game with a single and finished with two of his team's six hits to elevate his batting average for the season to .286.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen drove in two runs Friday against the Cardinals.

McCutchen didn't get things going until the bottom of the sixth inning. He singled off Shelby Miller after a four-pitch at-bat. In the bottom of the eighth, McCutchen hit a triple, which plated both of his RBI.

McCutchen finished the contest 2 for 5, with 1 run scored and 2 RBI.

Though Rockies manager Walt Weiss told MLB.com he is still planning on rotating his various outfield options in and out of the lineup, that was before Charlie Blackmon's huge performance Friday against the Diamondbacks.

Blackmon made his third start in five chances and made the most of it, going 6 for 6 with five runs driven in and four scores in a 12-2 win. He had three doubles and a home run, his first of the season.

Blackmon is now hitting .563 though five games, with nine hits, six RBI an four extra-base hits in 16 at-bats, while striking out just once.   

Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler will get a MRI on his injured hamstring, according to ESPN.

Soler left Thursday's game with the injury. He's been assigned to the team's Double-A club in Tennessee to begin the season.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is hitting second Thursday.

Harper's spot in the batting order has been the topic of discussion in Washington thus far. In the first two games, Harper batted lower in the lineup, which caused a bit of a stir. For game three, he's penciled into the two-spot. He's also able to play in his second consecutive game after taking a knee to the head Monday. Harper will take on Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler. 

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton belted his first home run of the season Wednesday against the Rockies. 

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Stanton took a 92 mph heater from Jordan Lyles out to the opposite field for a two-run blast. He finished the game strong, walking in the eighth, and hitting a RBI single in the ninth. Stanton finished 2 for 4, with 3 RBI during the game. He's gotten off to a nice start, collecting four hits in his first three games this season.