MLB Player News

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.

Reed is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Mariners, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

Marwin Gonzalez will get the nod at first base with the Astros facing lefty James Paxton to kick off the second half. The 23-year-old Reed hasn't exactly hit the ground running since his promotion from Triple-A (5-for-35, 16 strikeouts), but the Astros figure to let the slugger learn on the job while serving on the large end of a first-base platoon.

Buxton (knee) is back in the lineup Friday against the Indians.

The 22-year-old was carted off the field last week after a collision with the outfield wall, leading many to fear the worst. However, X-rays were negative and an MRI later confirmed that Buxton's knee is fine structurally. He will slot back into center field and the nine-hole against right-hander Carlos Carrasco after missing just two starts, and the last-place Twins figure to continue giving Buxton regular time in the second half despite his disappointing performance so far this season.

Cespedes (quadriceps) is out of Friday's lineup against the Phillies.

He took batting practice Friday in Philadelphia, but is still not ready to return to action after suffering a right quadriceps strain a week ago. Juan Lagares will start in center field and hit eighth Friday.