MLB Player News

Goins will start at second base and bat ninth Sunday against the Athletics, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

The Royals have been rotating the versatile Whit Merrifield at a number of different spots lately, paving the way for Goins to pick up his fourth consecutive start at second base Sunday. Goins has earned the extra opportunities by going 4-for-10 with a pair of runs and RBI over the past three games, but his career .230/.276/.336 batting line suggests there's limited fantasy upside to be mined here.

Cespedes (hip) isn't expected to require a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated from the disabled list, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Cespedes remains without a firm timeline for his return, but manager Mickey Callaway did go on record Sunday stating that the organization does not believe that Cespedes will need any minor-league at-bats prior his his activation. He's scheduled to take live at-bats against a Mets pitcher Tuesday, at which point the team should provide an update on his recovery timeline.

Cabrera is the designated hitter and batting third for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

After starting at first base in each of his first two games back from the disabled list, Cabrera will slide over to DH in an effort to lessen the stress on his hamstring. Expect this to be a fairly standard routine for the 35-year-old slugger moving forward as the Tigers aim to keep him healthy and in the lineup.

Harper is not in the lineup Sunday against the Braves.

Harper will sit for the first time since May 18 in what appears to be a routine day of rest following 15 consecutive starts, a stretch in which he slashed just .233/.309/.517 with five homers and 25 strikeouts. Brian Goodwin draws the right field assignment in Harper's absence.

Pederson went 4-for-5 with a double, two solo home runs and four total runs scored in Saturday's 12-4 win over the Rockies.

The 26-year-old didn't waste his Coors Field opportunity, snapping his 37-game homerless drought with authority as he took German Marquez deep in the fourth and sixth innings. Pederson added 82 points to his OPS with the performance, and he's now slashing a respectable .265/.346/.449 on the season, albeit with only three home runs in 54 games.

Stanton went 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run homer in Saturday's win over the Orioles.

Stanton took Kevin Gausman deep in the third inning to put the Yankees up 4-1, his 12th homer of the season and his first in 11 games. He's yet to provide fantasy owners with a prolonged hot streak, but hopefully Saturday's two-hit effort -- which came in the midst of a 2-for-23 slump -- will kick-start the slugger. Stanton is now hitting .248/.324/.476 through 54 games this season.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with two RBI in Saturday's 5-4 win over Houston.

Martinez delivered a pair of RBI-singles off Astros starter Justin Verlander, who allowed multiple runs for just the third time this season. Martinez has put together a monster first two months, giving him a realistic shot at the Triple Crown. He's tied for the MLB lead in homers (19), leads in RBI (50) and is 13th in average (.321).

Ozuna was 2-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's win over the Pirates.

The home run is Ozuna's fourth of the year, and he is now 15-for-32 over his last 10 games. The 27-year-old is slashing .271/.320/.360 and is providing a huge boost to the Cardinals after a sluggish first seven weeks of the season.

Belt (appendicitis) is expected to miss three weeks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt was placed on the 10-day disabled list earlier Saturday after undergoing surgery to have his appendix removed. While it was originally thought that the first baseman wouldn't be forced to spend much longer than the 10-day minimum on the shelf, the Giants are now giving him a three-week baseline for his return. In the meantime, Pablo Sandoval and Buster Posey are expected to fill in for Belt at first base.

Belt (appendicitis) was placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

This move was simply procedural, as Belt was expected to be out for a little while after undergoing surgery to have his appendix removed Friday night. The slugging first baseman is eligible to return from the DL on June 12, and it sounds like he won't be forced to miss too much more time than that, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Pablo Sandoval stands to gain the most playing time at first base while Belt is sidelined. The club activated Alen Hanson (hamstring) in a corresponding move.