MLB Player News

Martinez (foot) took live batting practice Wednesday and will play in an extended spring training game when ready, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The outfielder probably won't return until sometime in early May, at earliest, considering this timetable. Martinez may need a brief rehab assignment before activation.

Cespedes (hamstring) hit third and played left field Wednesday, going 1-for-4 in a loss to the Braves.

He didn't appear to be moving at quite 100 percent in the field, but the Mets apparently don't feel Cespedes can make his hamstring tweak any worse by playing. The 31-year-old is slashing .262/.370/.607 on the season with six homers and 10 RBI.

Harper went 4-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI and a run in Colorado on Wednesday.

He's been an on-base machine in the mold of Barry Bonds early on, as Harper's now hitting .432 with a .548 OBP (not to mention that .824 slugging percentage). All in all, it looks like he's poised to replicate or maybe even improve upon his ridiculous 2015 campaign he put up before last year's disappointing performance.

Brantley went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and three RBI in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Astros.

He now has a 10-game hitting streak, over which Brantley is batting .381 (16-for-42) with four homers, nine RBI, 11 runs and two steals. After a lost 2016, the 29-year-old looks completely healthy and back in top form.

Manager Brad Ausmus reiterated Wednesday that he believes Cabrera (groin) will be ready to be activated from the DL on May 2, when first eligible, the Detroit News' Chris McCosky reports.

This has been the theme throughout Cabrera's stay on the DL, and his status continues to trend upward. He did infield drills Wednesday. In the meantime, John Hicks is starting at first base and hitting sixth against lefty James Paxton.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Tigers, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports.

Though the Mariners are without two key position players Wednesday in Mitch Haniger (oblique) and Kyle Seager (hip), manager Scott Servais is reluctant to expose Vogelbach to left-handed pitching, so the rookie will sit with southpaw Daniel Norris on the bump for the Tigers. Danny Valencia, who occupies the smaller side of a platoon with Vogelbach, will draw the start at first base and bat sixth in the order.

Soler (oblique) is 4-for-17 with two home runs, four RBI and a 2:5 BB:K through five rehab games with Triple-A Omaha.

Soler hit his second homer with Omaha on Tuesday, a solo shot in the first inning off Odrisamer Despaigne. Manager Ned Yost did not offer up a possible return date for Soler when asked Tuesday, according to Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star, but it would not be a surprise if the team was to activate Soler this weekend or early next week. The Royals could use a jolt on offense, as they currently rank dead last in the majors in runs scored (52).

Although initially listed in the starting lineup, Mets manager Terry Collins admitted that Cespedes (hamstring) would not have played Tuesday due to the cold and wet conditions had the game not been rained out, Daniel Popper of The New York Daily News reports. "This is certainly a night where I'm not sure (if) the smartest thing to do is play him," Collins said following Tuesday's postponement.

The Mets manager is still taking the long view with Cespedes' injury. The outfielder should return to action Wednesday night against the Braves, but if the weather is still miserable at Citi Field he could be held back once again.

Brantley went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Astros.

Brantley's fourth homer of the season, and second in as many contests, extended his hitting streak to nine games. Since April 13, the outfielder is slashing .368/.429/.737 with all four of his bombs, seven RBI and 10 runs. It's safe to say Brantley is back to being the elite player that he was before 2016's lost campaign.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Tuesday's 15-12 loss to the Nationals.

His slow start to the season is a distant memory now. Blackmon now has a 10-game hitting streak and a five-game streak with multiple RBI, pushing his slash line on the year to .286/.330/.642 with seven homers, 14 runs scored and 21 RBI in 21 games.