MLB Player News

Cespedes (quad) will be in the initial starting lineup Sunday, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Don't lock Cespedes in just yet, however, as manager Terry Collins will likely keep a close eye on the outfielder's pregame routine. If anything appears off, look for Collins to take a precautionary approach and scratch him from the lineup. Cespedes suffered a strained quad leading up to the All-Star break, and hasn't started a game since then, allowing Juan Lagares to pick up a few extra starts. Despite the recent absence, all signs appear to be pointing at a return in the short term for Cespedes. Even if he's unable to go Sunday, Matt Ehalt of The Record reports that Collins does not anticipate the ailment forcing a stint on the DL.

Vargas started at DH and went 2-for-5 with a double in Saturday's win over Cleveland.

Vargas continues to stay in the lineup while he's hot. He's hitting .400 (10-for-25) with nine of his 10 hits being extra-base hits.

Cespedes (quad) is not in the lineup Saturday against the Phillies, James Wagner of the New York Times reports.

Cespedes strained his right quad a couple of days before the All-Star break, and he'll now miss a second straight game following the festivities. The slugger took batting practice Friday, however, and was close to returning Saturday, so a DL stint does not seem likely at this point. In place of Cespedes, Juan Lagares will make another start in center field and hit eighth Saturday.

Goins appears to be on track to make his return when he's eligible to come off the DL on Sunday, MLB.com reports.

Goins has been out since June 29, when he experienced tightness in his right forearm during a rare pitching appearance in a game against the Indians. He began a rehab appearance with Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday and he's eligible to come off the DL on Sunday for the final game of the Jays' series in Oakland. However, he was playing poorly before hitting the DL, and middle infielders Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis are healthy again, which means Goins won't have much fantasy value.

Stanton went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, a run, and an RBI against the Cardinals on Friday.

Stanton had a strong finish to an otherwise forgettable first half, carrying a seven-game hitting streak into the break and then mashing his way to a Home Run Derby crown. He picked up right where he left off before All-Star festivities as he continues to push his .238/.335/.500 slash line back to respectability. The lumbering outfielder has slugged five home runs over what is now an eight-game hitting streak and is up to 41 runs scored and 51 RBI on the year.

Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a double, two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's win over the Cardinals.

The All-Star outfielder opened the second half just how he spent the majority of the first half: scorching hot. The multi-hit effort pushed his slash line to .308/.360/.534. He's been the Marlins' most consistent run producer, accumulating 54 runs and driving home 49 during this breakout campaign. Ozuna's .894 OPS is currently 120 points higher than his previous career high and with 17 long balls on the year, he's just six home runs away from tying his career best of 23 set in 2014.

Martinez's return from a broken elbow is "still a few weeks off, probably, " according to manager Brad Ausmus, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Martinez could still return during his estimated recovery timetable, which was set at 6-to-8 weeks following his mid-June injury, but it appears likely his absence will stretch into August. He is not yet ready to face live pitching, and will almost certainly require a rehab assignment before rejoining the big league club. Steven Moya and Mike Aviles figure to continue sharing the left-field duties in Martinez's place.

Pederson (shoulder) went 1-for-2 with two walks in a rehab game with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday.

Pederson saw the ball well Friday in his first game action since June 28. He is expected to play at least another game or two in the minors before potentially returning to the Dodgers on Tuesday.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 and stole his third base of the season Friday in Washington.

The center fielder's stolen base was just his third in eight attempts and his head-first slide shows he might be getting a bit more aggressive on the bases. McCutchen holds a modest four-game hitting streak (7-for-16) with three extra-base hits as he tries to rebound from a miserable first half.

Brantley (shoulder), who will move his rehab to Double-A Akron on Friday, hopes to play in consecutive games soon, MLB.com reports.

Brantley could be playing consecutive games by the start of next week as he works his way back. The Indians want Brantley to be able to handle a heavy load upon his return to the lineup so he'll need to prove he can handle consecutive games without incident in his rehab program as a first hurdle.