MLB Player News

Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk and two runs scored against the Brewers on Tuesday.

Though the long ball is nice, Carpenter hasn't put together a multi-hit game since Aug. 8 -- a span of three weeks. It's nice to see his power showing up over the past couple games, as he also homered Sunday, but he's hit just .194/.324/.355 over his last 16 outings, contributing to this season's career-worst .244 average. That said, Carpenter's also sitting on a career-worst .277 BABIP, and his plate discipline and pop are still pluses. At only 31 years old, he should still be good for several more productive seasons.

Belt (concussion) may not return this season, Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Manager Bruce Bochy remains hopeful that Belt will return this season, but acknowledged Tuesday that he may not return until 2018. This should come as no surprise, given Belt's history with concussions. Ryder Jones should continue to serve as the everyday first baseman for the foreseeable future.

Manager Brad Ausmus said Cabrera (back) is still a little sore and probably won't play Wednesday against the Rockies, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Cabrera is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies after exiting Monday's contest with lower-back tightness, and it appears the issue will keep him sidelined for Wednesday's series finale as well. The good news is that Ausmus didn't seem overly concerned about the injury, so the Tigers are likely trying to give him an extra day of rest ahead of Thursday's off day. John Hicks will likely start in his place at first base again.

Vargas will serve as the Twins' designated hitter and bat seventh Tuesday against the White Sox.

Injuries to Robbie Grossman (thumb) and Miguel Sano (shin) have left Vargas the top option on the depth chart at DH. Vargas will draw his third consecutive start Tuesday after going 3-for-9 with two RBI over the past two contests.

Cabrera (back) is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Rockies.

Cabrera exited Monday's game with lower-back tightness -- something that has bothered him throughout the season -- and the issue is apparently still bothersome enough to keep him on the sideline for Tuesday's interleague matchup. Consider him day-to-day; John Hicks is starting in his place at first base.

Harper (knee) is no longer walking with a limp and has resumed exercising, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com reports.

It sounds like Harper is starting to make some progress from the significant bone bruise in his left knee that he sustained Aug. 12, but since he's yet to do any on-field work, a return from the 10-day disabled list doesn't seem to be imminent. Even so, the Nationals remain optimistic that the outfielder will be back on the field before the end of the regular season and enter the postseason at full strength. Because of his uncertain return timeline, Harper makes for a difficult hold in shallower formats, but those in deeper leagues should continue to stash him on the bench in the event he's able to get in a week or two worth of games before the season draws to a close.

Ozuna went 3-for-3 with a walk, a double and an RBI in Monday's loss to the Nationals.

While Max Scherzer was able to keep Giancarlo Stanton in check Monday night, he had no such luck with Ozuna. The 26-year-old is now slashing an electric .333/.430/.600 through 25 games in August with seven homers and 22 RBI.

Cabrera left Monday's game with lower-back tightness, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Cabrera was pulled in the bottom of the fifth inning. Considering that he was just suspended seven games for his involvement in the Tigers' recent brawl with the Yankees, this might be the perfect opportunity for him to begin serving the suspension. Until that decision is made, though, consider Cabrera day-to-day.

Cespedes (hamstring) was ruled out for the season following an evaluation Monday, James Wagner of The New York Times reports.

The minimum recovery time for Cespedes's right hamstring strain was judged to be six weeks. As such, the Mets will shut him down and look toward next spring. His season ends with a .292/.352/.540 batting line and 17 home runs over 81 games. Cespedes gave the Mets exactly what they expected when he was healthy, but unfortunately, that just wasn't often enough this season.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with two home runs, a walk, two RBI and three runs in Sunday's 11-0 win over the Giants.

After he provided a solo blast in the sixth inning, Martinez's second home run came in between eighth-inning long balls by Paul Goldschmidt and Daniel Descalso, which helped the Diamondbacks break the game open. Since coming over from the Tigers in July, Martinez has gone deep 13 times in just 136 plate appearances, but a .231 average over that span has somewhat dinged his fantasy value.