MLB Player News

After going 3 for 3 in a pair of appearances off the bench the last two days, Giants first baseman Brandon Belt is back in the lineup Wednesday against Arizona, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

Belt hit a walk-off RBI single Monday night and a game-tying two-run home run in the ninth inning Tuesday night. He's still hitting just .222/.261/.317, but the three hits rose his OPS a whopping 117 points from where it was April 19, his last start (.461 to .578).

Joaquin Arias moves back to the bench as a result.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt provided heroics off the bench once again Tuesday against Arizona, as he went 2 for 2 and hit a game-tying two-run home run in the ninth inning. 

Belt was hitting just .183/.227/.233 after April 20, his last start, but his three hits in three at-bats off the bench since (he also hit the game-winning single as a pinch hitter Monday) have elevated his line to .222/.261/.317. It still isn't impressive, but it shows just how much a tiny hot streak can impact rate stats at this point of the season.

After going 0 for 3 earlier in the day, Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton bounced back with a solid performance in the nightcap of a doubleheader against the Twins at Target Field.

Stanton drove in a run on a fielder's choice in the second and singled in one more in the eighth. He also added a double and finished 2 for 4 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI in an 8-5 victory.

Stanton has gone 4 for 12 with three runs scored and three RBI in his last three games. He is hitting .200/.333/.255 and has yet to hit one out of the park through his first 55 at-bats.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt only received one plate appearance Monday, but made it count. 

Belt hit a walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth inning. Belt took a Tony Sipp slider to center field, scoring Andres Torres for the game-winning run. Belt has seen his playing time cut recently due to an early season slump. Belt is hitting .197/.239/.246.

Dodgers outfield prospect Joc Pederson was named Southern League player of the week Monday. Pederson hit .407 (11 for 27) with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI, seven runs, four walks and three stolen bases in seven games from April 15-21.

After opening the season hitless in the first two games (0 for 7), Pederson has hit safely in his last 15 games. He's batting .318 with a .370 on-base percentage, .682 slugging percentage and 1.052 OPS through 17 games. He also has two triples, five doubles, five home runs, 12 RBI and six stolen bases.

Pederson is considered a top 5 prospect in the Dodgers' system by MLB.com (No. 3) and Baseball America (No. 4).

Cardinals infielder Matt Carpenter went deep for his second home run of the season during Sunday's series finale against the Phillies.

Carpenter's solo homer came off starter Kyle Kendrick with one out in the opening frame. He finished 1 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI in a 7-3 victory.

Carpenter is hitting .266/.338/.453 with two home runs and seven RBI in 64 at-bats.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 5 with a pair of singles during a 10-6 loss at Cincinnati on Sunday. Stanton also delivered his first RBI of the season with his run-scoring base hit in the ninth inning.

However, he matched a season high with three strikeouts and has now whiffed at least once in each of the past five games (nine total). Stanton has walked just once in that span and is hitting just .188 on the season.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt was held out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale against San Diego and could miss additional playing time as the team looks to shake him from his early slump. Belt has recorded just two hits in his last 13 at-bats to drop his batting average to .183; he has yet to reach the Mendoza Line this year.

"This isn't a case where he's getting benched," manager Bruce Bochy told the San Jose Mercury News on Sunday. "But we need to get (Joaquin) Arias out there, so (Belt) is going to miss a couple of games. He's been through this as much as anybody. The frustration can maybe cause you to change a few things and maybe add tension. When you have tension in your swing, that doesn't work."

No big secret here, but this Bryce Harper kid's pretty good. After slugging two home runs Saturday against the Mets, Harper has seven in the team's first 17 games, putting him on pace for 65-plus. It's probably fair to say Harper will not reach that total, but it just goes to show how little time it has taken for him to cement himself as a high-end Fantasy contributor.

After an up-and-down rookie season in which he needed 40 games to hit his seventh home run, Harper has been a model of consistency this season. After Saturday's game, Harper has at least 24.5 Fantasy points in each of the first three weeks of the season. It's nice to be able to pencil in that kind of production every week, especially coming from the No. 9 outfielder drafted on average.

You don't need a weekly notification telling you to keep Harper in the starting lineup, but it is nice to be reminded that you drafted a stud. As Scott White notes in his Hit Parade column, starting Harper is a no-brainer. 

Nationals left fielder Bryce Harper enjoyed another big day at the plate Saturday against the Mets.

Harper had his second multi-home run game of the season in a 7-6 victory. He took starter Jeremy Hefner deep in the third inning for a two-run home run. The 20-year-old then broke a 6-6 tie with a solo shot off reliever Josh Edgin in the eighth.

Harper added a double in the fifth and finished 3 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored and three RBI. He is 6 for 12 with four runs scored, two homers and three RBI in his last three games. He is hitting .371/.426/.758 in 62 at-bats.