MLB Player News

With second baseman Neil Walker receiving the night off, the Pirates moved center fielder Andrew McCutchen to the cleanup spot Friday against Milwaukee.

McCutchen has started all eight of his games at the No. 3 hole, with Walker at the cleanup spot. McCutchen is hitting .207 (6 for 29) with two homers and seven RBI to start the season. He is a

Blue Jays infielder Ryan Goins started at shortstop Friday vs. Atlanta in place of the injured Jose Reyes, who could be headed to the disabled list with a fractured rib. Goins and Steve Tolleson are expected to fill in at shortstop for however long Reyes is sidelined.

Goins is 1 for 3 with one walk and one strikeout in one game since his recall from the minors.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton launched his 155th career home run, passing Dan Uggla for the most home runs in franchise history. Stanton smacked a two-run home run off Dillon Gee in the second inning of Miami's 7-5 loss to the Mets at Citi Field on Thursday.

"I'll enjoy it later," Stanton said of his home run, per the Miami Herald. "Three and seven is the only record I know right now."

It was Stanton's first home run Sept. 8, three days before his season ended in when he suffered a facial fracture in Milwaukee. Stanton has also homered in four straight games against the Mets. he will look to make it five in a row against New York right-hander Bartolo Colon on Friday. He is 2 for 2 with a double and an RBI in his career against Colon.

The Red Sox made outfielder Yoenis Cespedes a preliminary offer on a contract extension before trading him to the Tigers in the offseason, according to CBSSports.com Baseball Insider Jon Heyman.

However, Red Sox personnel see Cespedes as "a businessman," which translates into Boston seeing it very unlikely Cespedes was going to sign before free agency, according to Heyman. 

There is no word on if the Tigers are making progress on a contract extension for Cespedes, who will be a free agent after the 2015 season. The 29-year-old outfielder is batting .308 (12 for 39) with one triple, four doubles and three RBI in nine games.

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBI in his team's 7-5 loss to the Mets Thursday.

Stanton's first home run of the season was a two-run blast in the top of the first inning, but the lead shifted back and forth during the middle innings, with the Mets ultimately coming out ahead. Stanton went 3 for 3 with four RBI Tuesday but had been hitless in four of his previous five games coming into Thursday. He has hit .242 with nine RBI and eight walks in 10 games.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter collected his fourth straight two-hit game and sixth this season during a 4-0 win Thursday against the Brewers. He had two doubles, one run and one RBI.

Carpenter is batting .364 (12 for 33) with one home run, four doubles and six RBI in eight games. He also has seven runs, four walks and four strikeouts.

Twins first baseman Kennys Vargas didn't just hit a home run Thursday against Kansas City. He sent a missile off the facade of the second deck.

The baseball left the yard in quite a hurry and tied a game Minnesota eventually won. The homer gave his team momentum, but it also opened a few eyes.

"It was fast, yeah," Vargas told ESPN about the speed in which the ball rocketed out. "The first base coach, he told me, like, 'Wow! I've never seen that.'"

Vargas added a single to raise his batting average to .250 on the year.

When the Twins and Indians open a three-game series Friday, Cleveland will be sending ace Corey Kluber to the mound. Twins DH Kennys Vargas and third baseman Trevor Plouffe have fairly good history against the 2014 AL Cy Young award winner.

Vargas went 4 for 11 (.364) with one double, one home run and two RBI against Kluber last season, while Plouffe is batting .360 (9 for 25) with one double, two home runs and seven RBI in his career against Kluber.

Kluber is 4-2 with a 4.01 ERA in 10 career starts against the Twins. He went 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts against the AL Central foe last season and is 2-1 with a 4.66 ERA in five starts at Target Field.

The Blue Jays recalled second baseman Ryan Goins from Triple-A Buffalo and designated pitcher Todd Redmond for assignment, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.

Goins hit .188 in 67 games last season for Toronto. He batted .350 (7 for 20) in six games for the Bisons. Redmond posted a whopping 16.62 ERA in 4 1/3 innings of work to start the season.

Coming into the season, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly chose not to name rookie Joc Pederson the team's starting center fielder. Instead, he opted to say, "You're going to see Joc a lot in center field."

Well, at least Mattingly didn't lie in that regard. Pederson has started all nine games in center field for the Dodgers this season. Thus far, the rookie has been able to handle the everyday responsibilities.

Pederson reached base in every plate appearance during Wednesday's 5-2 win against the Mariners. He had a single and three walks. He also has one RBI.

While Pederson has had just one multihit game, he is batting .310 (9 for 29) with a .444 on-base percentage, .517 slugging percentage and .962 OPS. He also has one home run, three doubles, four RBI, six runs, seven walks and one stolen base.

About the only negatives for Pederson is that he has 11 strikeouts and has been caught stealing twice.

“It’s a tough spot for a young player, that eight hole,” Mattingly said, per the Los Angeles Times. “Tough spot for him to know when to be patient. He has a good eye so I think it’s just him staying with his game plan.”