MLB Player News

Ozuna appeared to injure his right hamstring and limped off the field following his final at-bat during Monday's loss to the Cardinals, Craig Davis of the Sun-Sentinel reports. "When I got out of the batter's box it felt like it was getting tight," Ozuna said after the game. "But I'm OK. That's happened most of the time. But at times it's a little harder, not like it's going to pull so bad, but a little bit."

The Marlins left fielder slugged two more homers Monday, giving him 11 on the season, and the team can ill afford to lose him after seeing starting third baseman Martin Prado (hamstring) and utility man Miguel Rojas (thumb) land on the DL over the weekend. Ozuna thinks he'll be able to play Tuesday, but don't be surprised if he's given a day or two to rest in an attempt to prevent the issue from getting worse.

Harper went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in Monday's loss to the Orioles.

After sitting out the weekend series in Philadelphia to nurse a sore groin, Harper got right back to business Monday. He now sports a dizzying .385/.511/.750 slash line on the year with 10 homers, 29 RBI, 36 runs and a 27:23 BB:K, and the only blemish on his performance from a fantasy perspective is his 0-for-2 showing on stolen base attempts.

Pederson went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 12-1 rout of the Pirates.

Pederson's three hits were his first knocks since April 23 after he spent some time on the disabled list with a groin injury. He's now sporting a slash line of .241/.357/.362 with only one home run and nine RBI, but he'll return to everyday starting duties in center field for the Dodgers. Pederson's fantasy owners will have to hope his three-hit performance Monday night gets him going as we head deeper into May.

Cespedes is expected to start baseball activities within the next few days, and manager Terry Collins set his timeline for return at roughly two weeks, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Cespedes's hamstring did well in tests, so he'll start working his way up to a rehab assignment. The Mets have three off days over the next two weeks, so he could potentially miss as few as 11 more games if he manages to make his return by May 23 against the Padres as Collins is expecting.

Brantley (ankle) is not in the lineup Monday against the Blue Jays.

This comes as no surprise, as Brantley exited Sunday's contest against the Royals with a sprained ankle and is expected to miss at least a day or two. While the sprain isn't thought to be anything overly serious, the Indians will tread cautiously with the 30-year-old after he only played in 11 games last season due to injuries. With an off day coming up Thursday, it wouldn't be too surprising to see the Indians hold him out until then to afford him some extra rest. The recently recalled Yandy Diaz will draw the start in left field for the game.

Harper (groin) will start in right field and bat third in the order Monday against the Orioles, Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post reports.

Harper missed all three games of the Nationals' series with the Phillies over the weekend due to the groin issue, but as expected, a stay on the disabled list was never in the cards for the outfielder. Chris Heisey, who had started two of the last three games in place of Harper, will return to his customary bench role.

Indians manager Terry Francona said Brantley's injury is not considered overly serious and shouldn't cost him more than "a day or two," Robert Falkoff of MLB.com reports.

A collective "Phew!" could be heard across the fantasy world thanks to the skipper's post-game comments. "It's not the dreaded high-ankle sprain," Francona said. "He hit first [base] hard. Hopefully, it's a day or two." Brantley, who played just 11 games last season before injuries shelved him for good, is off to a strong start to 2017. He's hitting .283/.343/.475 with five home runs, 17 RBI and 15 runs through his first 26 games. Owners in weekly formats may want to think about sitting Brantley before rosters lock Monday. Even though Francona mentioned a short timeline, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Brantley gets a few extra days to rest, as the club was already -- even before Sunday's injury -- being very cautious with the 30-year-old.

Carpenter went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 6-4 extra-inning win over the Braves.

Carpenter opened the scoring on the afternoon with a 406-foot shot to right in the first, giving him a homer in three straight games and his fourth over the last six. The veteran infielder has already boosted his average 21 points in six May games and knocked in six runs over that span as well, as he spearheads a Cardinals offense that appears to finally be awakening from a season-long slumber.

Miller was hitless in four at-bats in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays and is now 2-for-32 over the last 11 games.

The only two hits for Miller during that span came in an April 30 contest against the Blue Jays, and his average is down to .190 following Sunday's game. The veteran infielder's struggles are somewhat mystifying, as his hard contact rate is up to a career-high 38.2 percent, including 36.8 percent during his current slump. His one saving grace has been a .362 OBP that's largely a byproduct of a career-high 20.5 percent walk rate. While his patience at the plate has been a positive, his lack of production, particularly in the power department, has to be of increasing concern.

Vargas went 1-for-3 with his third home run of the season in Sunday's loss to Boston.

He's been splitting time at designated hitter with Robbie Grossman, but Vargas got a start Sunday at first base. Vargas has been hot since he was called up from Triple-A Rochester (.294/.324/.588). Expect the Twins to continue to find ways to keep him in the lineup.