MLB Player News

Manager Dusty Baker said Harper (groin) is feeling better and might be able to pinch hit Saturday, Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports.

It sounds like Harper was lobbying to start Saturday, but Baker has decided to play it safe and hold his superstar slugger out of the lineup. A Sunday return sounds like a real possibility, but Harper's status for the series finale against Philadelphia won't be known until a couple hours prior to the 1:35 ET first pitch.

Pederson is not in the lineup Saturday against the Padres, David Vassegh of 570 LA Sports reports.

Pederson will head to the bench with southpaw Clayton Richard scheduled to take the mound for the Padres, giving way to Enrique Hernandez in center field. Pederson went hitless in his first game back from the disabled list Friday, though he did draw a walk. He should be back on the lineup card for Sunday's series finale.

Harper (groin) is not in the lineup Saturday against the Phillies, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports.

Although the groin issue isn't thought to be anything overly serious, the Nationals aren't taking any chances with their superstar. Harper will be held out for the second straight game as Rafael Bautista gets his first major-league start in his place. The Nationals remain hopeful that Harper will be able to return to action before the weekend is over.

Miller is starting at second base and hitting in the two-hole Saturday against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With Kevin Kiermaier dealing with a hand bruise and moved down to the eighth spot, Miller moves up from his regular role in the middle of the order. Perhaps the small change can spark a surge at the plate, where he is 2-for-15 over the past week with eight walks.

Soler is starting in right field and hitting seventh Saturday against the Indians, 610 Sports Radio reports.

He was activated from the 10-day DL earlier in the day after missing the first 28 games of the season with an oblique injury. Now that he is healthy, Soler figures to be the team's everyday right fielder going forward. He has a .258/.328/.434 slash line with a 27.6 percent strikeout rate and 27 home runs in 765 career plate appearances, and has an identical 106 wRC+ against righties and lefties. Soler has more raw power than he has shown in games thus far.

Soler (oblique) was reinstated from the 10-day DL on Saturday.

An oblique injury sidelined Soler for the first 28 games of the season, but it appears he is ready to return to action against Indians righty Josh Tomlin. The 10-18 Royals are likely going to have to embrace a rebuild at some point this season, and Soler is one of the few players who figures to be a building block for them going forward. He is under team control through the 2020 season, which should encompass the 25-year-old's prime years. Jorge Bonifacio is hitting .262/.326/.405 with an 11:4 K:BB in 42 at-bats, and will likely cede the everyday right field job to Soler, who has more power potential and a similarly fringe-average hit tool. Soler has a .258/.328/.434 slash line with a 27.6 percent strikeout rate and 27 home runs in 765 career plate appearances, and has an identical 106 wRC+ against righties and lefties. He has more raw power than he has shown in games thus far.

Buxton (undisclosed) is not in Saturday's starting lineup against the Red Sox, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports.

It will be the second consecutive game Buxton misses after he collided hard with an outfield wall in Thursday's loss. The young outfielder is reportedly doing much better after some minor headaches and plans to test it out by taking some swings and running on the field prior to Saturday's game. He could be available in a reserve role if needed, though the Twins will likely exercise caution with rushing him back to action. Max Kepler slides over to fill the void in center field.

Carpenter went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer, three runs and three walks during Friday's win over Atlanta.

Currently sporting an 8-for-27 run at the dish with three home runs, eight runs, 12 RBI and a 1.241 OPS, Carpenter has rounded into form. Hitting third instead of leading off has provided plenty of RBI opportunities early on, and the veteran infielder has a good shot at topping his previous career-high mark of 84 from the 2015 campaign.

Harper (groin) should return to the lineup this weekend, Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports.

The Nats aren't going to take any chances with their superstar slugger, but Harper's groin tweak doesn't appear to be serious. He has 12 career homers at Citizens Bank Park, so anyone with Harper shares has to hope his name is back on the lineup card Saturday.

Pederson (groin) was activated from the DL on Friday.

As expected, Pederson was returned to the active roster ahead of Friday's series opener against the Padres after a brief stint on the disabled list due to a groin injury. Pederson should immediately resume his role as the primary center fielder for Los Angeles, pushing Andrew Toles back to left field. Pederson hit .220/.322/.340 with one home run in 18 games before landing on the DL.