MLB Player News

Martinez is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rangers.

Mike Aviles will man right field and bat second against lefty Cole Hamels. The team has not given any indication Martinez is ailing, but his absence against a southpaw is odd to say the least. Martinez has posted an OPS well over .900 against lefties since the start of last season.

Brantley went 4-for-5 with a double, three RBI and a run as part of Thursday's 16-hit parade against the Tigers.

Brantley, who missed most of April after offseason surgery on his right shoulder, raised his batting average from .167 to .276. The outfielder had four hits in 24 at-bats since being activated April 24 and doubled that with Thursday's breakout performance. Assuming he remains healthy, there's not much reason to believe Brantley can't once again reach the 15-15 mark. And, if he gets really hot this summer, then a 20-20 year could be within the realm of possibility.

Cespedes went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer during Thursday's road loss in San Diego.

After breaking up Colin Rea's no-hit bid with a single in the seventh, Cespedes slammed a line-drive homer over the left-field fence as the Mets attempted to make a comeback from a five-run deficit in the ninth. It wasn't enough, but you won't hear the slugger's fantasy owners complaining. Cespedes has made a habit of these out-of-the-park-in-a-hurry liners to left so far this year, and those big rips are no small part of the reason that he's been carrying an OPS over 1.000 for more than two weeks now.

Goins is out of the lineup Thursday against the Rangers, Mark Zwolinski of the Toronto Star reports.

Hitting just .155 on the season, Goins is a last-ditch option in the deepest of leagues. Darwin Barney will start at the keystone Thursday, and since he can't possibly be worse than Goins offensively, he could start to steal more playing time going forward while Devon Travis (shoulder) is out.

Soler is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Nationals.

Soler has been struggling this season, hitting just .185/.276/.292 with two home runs through 25 games this season. He should no longer be considered an every day player considering how well Javier Baez and Tommy La Stella have been playing off the bench, as well as the ability of Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist to shift to the outfield if necessary. Soler has been known to heat up with the weather, so he is worth keeping an eye on still.

McCutchen called for Tuesday's official scorer to be fired after he was charged with an error on a line drive to center field. "He smoked it. It was a knuckleball," McCutchen told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I did what I could to try to catch it. Whoever scored that an error should be fired. That's unbelievable. I'd like him to try to catch that one."

McCutchen, who later apologized, went 2-for-5 with a double in Tuesday's loss to the Cubs. Since slugging three homers in Colorado, the outfielder has slashed .207/.303/.379 in his last seven games. Slow starts have become an annual spring rite for McCutchen but he's always warmed up with the weather.

Stanton went 2-for-3 with a double, a homer, a walk, two RBI and two runs against the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

After seeing his eight-game hitting streak end the day before, Stanton got right back to work on rebuilding the ol' batting average. He's now smashed six homers in his last nine games, reminding anyone with short-term memory issues about his status as one of the game's top power hitters.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two RBI in the Nats' win over the Royals on Wednesday afternoon.

Prior to the multi-hit game Wednesday, Harper was mired in a 2-for-26 slump (13 strikeouts). He's now sitting with 10 home runs through 27 games this season, putting him on pace to threaten the 50-homer plateau by the end of 2016 if he can maintain his current power production.

Ozuna mashed a two run home run, his fifth of the season, during Tuesday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Ozuna has struggled with consistency a bit so far this season and is batting just .228 with a .290 OBP through 92 at-bats while also striking out 25 times with just eight walks in 24 games. On the positive side, he's clubbed five home runs and is slugging .457 with 13 RBI a year after hitting just 10 home runs in 494 at-bats. It is nice to see the power bounce back in the early going and he'll remain a solid run producer batting fifth in the Marlins lineup.

Goins is batting ninth and playing second base Wednesday against the Rangers.

Goins hasn't collected a hit in his last nine at-bats, which has seen his batting average drop all the way to .160. The smooth-fielding second baseman will replace Darwin Barney in the lineup with the right-handed Colby Lewis on the hill. Goins last season hit for a .696 OPS against righties versus a .587 OPS against lefties.