MLB Player News

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's win over the Rays.

The fourth-inning blast was the second longest homer ever clubbed at Tropicana Field, hitting the Rays' 2011 wild card banner hanging high above the second deck in left-center. Ozuna now has eight home runs and 23 RBI in 26 games to go along with a cool .300/.360/.570 slash line.

Blackmon went 2-for-5 with an RBI double, another two-bagger and two runs in Wednesday's 11-3 win over the Padres.

The productive leadoff man was at it again Wednesday, posting his third multi-hit effort in the last four games and vaulting his average back over .300 in the process. Outside of a forgettable 0-for-6 day against the Diamondbacks on Sunday, Blackmon has hit safely in 16 other games since April 14, while his 25 RBI lead the Rockies and are fourth-most in the NL.

Vargas went 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBI in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the A's.

He supplied all the offense the Twins would need in this one, bringing home two runs with a bases-loaded single in the first inning and then launching a three-run shot off Kendall Graveman in the third. Vargas is now slashing .364/.417/.636 through six games since being called up.

Pederson (groin) will be activated from the disabled list Friday, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports.

Pederson's groin injury was never considered serious, so he will be activated prior to Friday's matchup against the Padres. Owners will want to make sure the young slugger is in their lineup for what should be a good matchup against the right-handed Jhoulys Chacin.

McCutchen went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer Wednesday, accounting for all the Pirates' runs in a 4-2 loss to Cincinnati.

McCutchen is a remarkable case of consistency not adding up to significant potency, as he's now reached base safely in 22 straight games, and yet he's hitting just .256 in that span (and .235 for the year). That said, he's walking plentifully and all five of his home runs have come in the course of this streak. McCutchen's BABIP is awfully depressed at .240 right now, and even if it rebounds only to somewhere around last season's .297 rather than his career .330 mark, that'll return his average into more-than-respectable territory. His speed has faded, so its important for McCutchen to hit for average to differentiate himself from the crowd of outfielders with 25-homer pop.

Torrens is 1-for-12 with one RBI and four strikeouts in 13 plate appearances this season.

Torrens has only started one game and is the third catcher on the roster behind Austin Hedges and Hector Sanchez. He has entered as a pinch-hitter 10 other times, but has not excelled in those situations. Barring an injury to Hedges or Sanchez, or a sudden explosion at the plate, it's likely Torrens will remain in his current role.

Martinez (foot) has not played defense during his rehab, the Detroit Free Press' Anthony Fenech reports.

While Martinez may be nearing a return soon, he will need at least some defensive reps before rejoining the Tigers. The 29-year-old suffered a minor setback Tuesday after fouling a ball off the (other) foot in an extended spring training game.

Cabrera (groin) is starting at first base and hitting third Wednesday against the Indians.

He was removed from Tuesday's game with groin tightness, the same injury that landed him on the DL recently, but it was apparently a minor issue and he won't miss further time. Cabrera homered before leaving Tuesday's game, and is hitting .267/.362/.500 with four home runs in 60 at-bats this season.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with a double and a run in Tuesday's 2-1 win over the Brewers.

Carpenter is now 5-for-11 with three doubles, a home run, four RBI, three runs and a pair of walks over a modest but encouraging three-game hitting streak. The 31-year-old is sporting a 16.5 percent walk rate that's his highest since his initial 19-plate appearance big-league cup of coffee in 2011, but is striking out at a career-high 23.7 percent clip while making contact a career-low 71 percent of the time.

Miller drew four walks and scored once in five plate appearances during Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Marlins.

Despite an uninspiring .217 average, Miller's OBP is now .374 following Tuesday's season-high four walks. The 27-year-old's walk rate has spiked to 20 percent this season after not having ever been in double digits in any of his previous four big-league campaigns, helping offset a five-percent drop in contact rate. While his current power drought is concerning (one home run over 115 plate appearances after a career-high 30 last season), a breakout may be imminent for Miller, considering his 38.1 percent hard contact rate is the highest of his career.