MLB Player News

Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to the Padres.

His impressive April continues, as Ozuna is now slashing .333/.377/.635 through 16 games with six homers, eight runs scored and 20 RBI. His .385 BABIP is bound to fall, but the 26-year-old's run production should stay strong if he can maintain even some of the gains he's shown in his career-high .302 ISO thus far.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a home run, two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Mets.

He kicked off the scoring with a two-run blast -- his seventh home run of the season -- off Matt Harvey in the first inning and then doubled and scored on Trea Turner's bases-loaded walk in the 11th to produce the winning run. Harper came into the game with the fourth highest career OPS in the month of April in baseball history -- behind only some guys named Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and Barry Bonds -- and Friday's performance exemplified how the 24-year-old has earned his place alongside those legends.

The injury that forced Cabrera to leave Friday's game has been diagnosed as a right groin strain and he will be reevaluated Saturday.

It turns out this injury was unrelated to the back injury that plagued Cabrera earlier the month. Whether or not that's a good sign remains to be seen. More serious groin strains can take weeks to fully heal, but this one may be mild enough for Cabrera to play through the pain. Expect more relevant information -- like whether or not the injury will require a trip to the 10-day DL -- before Saturday's 2:10 PM Eastern start time.

Cabrera was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning and was seen heading back to the tunnel with an unknown injury, Evan Woodbery of MLive reports.

Cabrera has been dealing with a back injury this month, and there is some speculation that it may have flared up during the game. We'll monitor his status as the night continues; for now, consider him day-to-day.

Pederson will bat leadoff Friday against the Diamondbacks, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports.

Manager Dave Roberts has shaken up the batting order Friday against right-hander Taijuan Walker, seemingly in hopes of jump-starting the offense, as the Dodgers have scored a total of 10 runs in their last four games. Pederson isn't exactly hot at the dish right now, but at least he's continuing to take walks unlike Andrew Toles (two walks so far this season).

Turner (hand) is back in the lineup Friday against the Diamondbacks, batting third and playing third base, J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group reports.

Turner sat out Wednesday's contest after being plunked in the hand Tuesday, but it seems like everything is back to normal for the third baseman. He'll assume his normal spot in the lineup with Enrique Hernandez returning to a reserve role.

Cespedes (hamstring) is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Nationals.

As expected, Cespedes will sit after suffering a hamstring injury during Thursday's game. Manager Terry Collins suggested Cespedes will probably need a few days out of the lineup, echoing what Cespedes said himself Thursday night. The skipper went on to say that Cespedes' injury is "beyond a cramp, but nothing serious," Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Soler (oblique) will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

It seems that the former Cub prospect is on the verge of returning to the big leagues, although he'll need to prove his worth quickly once he makes his season debut. Jorge Bonifacio was just called up from the minors after a strong start to the season, so the 25-year-old Soler will need to show improvement after batting just .238 as a semi-regular member of Chicago's outfield last season.

Carpenter went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Brewers.

The 31-year-old has struggled a fair amount this season, with Thursday's blast being just the second extra-base hit he's logged through 14 games. Carpenter also struck out three times, marking the third game in the past week where he's fanned multiple times. However, he does seem to be turning a page, as he currently possesses a five-game hit streak and a .316 batting average over the past week.

Buxton went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in Thursday's loss to Cleveland. Despite hitting just .082 with 24 strikeouts in 49 at-bats, manager Paul Molitor said he's not ready to send him to the minors. "We're not at that point, so I don't want to waste too much time talking about that, but obviously it's not an unexpected question because people are going to wonder," Molitor told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Buxton has been playing outstanding defense in center field, but he'll need to improve at the plate to stay in the majors and avoid another trip to Triple-A. He's just 1-for-15 with five strikeouts in his last six games.