MLB Player News

Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the Cardinals' 5-0 victory over the Cubs on Sunday.

That's two long balls in three games for Carpenter, who seems to finally be putting together a sustained stretch of production coming off a brutal start to the season. The homer was his 10th of the year, and his .232/.332/.433 slash line -- while still lagging substantially behind his usual standards -- is at least starting to look more like numbers from the player we've come to expect over the past few seasons.

Canha went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and three RBI Sunday against the Angels.

Canha took left-hander Andrew Heaney deep in the first inning for his eighth home run of the season. He has hit lefties well this season -- he entered Sunday's game slugging .569 against them in 65 at-bats -- with six of his eight home runs coming against them. That has lifted his slugging percentage to a decent .442 mark, though this was his first homer since May 25.

Belt went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and two runs scored Sunday against the Dodgers.

Belt took left-hander Caleb Ferguson deep in the third inning for his 12th home run of the season. It was his first hit since returning from the disabled list (appendicitis) and only his second home run off a left-handed pitcher this season. Belt has shown a surprising ability to hit for power through 199 at-bats this season, slugging nearly 100 points better than his career average and 70 points better than his career-best mark.

The Royals placed Soler (toe) on the 10-day disabled list Sunday.

The move to the DL was inevitable after Soler fouled a ball off his left foot in Friday's game against the Athletics and was later diagnosed with a fractured toe. The injury is expected to keep Soler on the shelf for at least six weeks, creating a void at a corner-outfield spot until early August. Per Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com, Paulo Orlando will receive the nod in right field Sunday, but Jorge Bonifacio could end up being the primary replacement for Soler once his 80-game suspension lapses later this month.

Reyes is out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves, Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Reyes has made three starts in right field over the last four games, but he'll be the odd man out for the series finale. He's gone 11-for-41 (.268) at the plate so far in the month of June, but has also been fanned 17 times over that span for a 40.5 percent strikeout rate on the month.

Winker is out of the lineup Sunday against the PIrates, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Winker will head to the bench after starting in each of the Reds' past seven games, opening room in the lineup for Adam Duvall. With Cincinnati 20 games under .500 entering play Sunday and seemingly prepared to give its younger players extra opportunities, the 24-year-old Winker seems likely to hold down a full-time role the rest of the season.

Alvarez (hand) was activated off the minor-league disabled list by Double-A Corpus Christi on Saturday.

Houston's third-ranked prospect made his presence felt immediately upon his return to the lineup. Alvarez launched a pair of two-run home runs -- one in the first inning and another in the third -- before the game was called due to rain in the fifth inning.

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer against the Cubs on Saturday.

Ozuna took Kyle Hendricks deep in the first inning, recording his 10th home run of the season. He has now homered in three consecutive games and has six home runs in June. Through May, his slugging percentage was at just .337, but his scorching hot June performance has brought that mark up to .444, in line with his career mark.

Cespedes (hip) is currently not participating in baseball activities but is expected to resume his rehab Monday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

Cespedes has been on the disabled list with the hip flexor strain since mid-May and was pulled from his minor-league rehab appearance last Saturday. The 32-year-old was set to fully restart his rehab work after suffering the setback, and the timetable for his potential return is currently unclear.

Buxton (toe) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The pain is gone from Buxton's fractured left big toe, Berardino also reports. The young centerfielder has had a very rough time when healthy this season, hitting an anemic .156/.183/.200 in 28 games. If he can finally get properly healthy, though, he should be an important player for the Twins, though strikeout issues still cap his fantasy ceiling for now.