MLB Player News

Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez went 1 for 3 Monday in Detroit's 5-4 loss to the Pirates. Martinez struggled early on in the game before finally breaking through in the ninth inning, ripping a 1-1 pitch from Mark Melancon to right field, driving in Miguel Cabrera.

It was Martinez's fourth home run in his first 31 at-bats and is now hitting .290 on the year.

Cubs right fielder Jorge Soler is batting third for the second straight game Monday against the Reds.

Soler batted second in his first four games but moved to the third spot Sunday, going 0 for 4 in the series finale against the Rockies. He's 4 for 18 with one walk, one triple and two RBI in five games.

The Cubs are favorites (-131) against the Reds Monday.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley could be out with a back injury until at least the weekend, reports FOX Sports. 

Brantley, who has played just once since Opening Day due to lingering back issues, will take batting practice Tuesday. However, with Cleveland slated to face lefties Tuesday and Wednesday, and with an off-day Thursday, Brantley could be held out until Friday at Minnesota. 

The Indians are trying to get Brantley back to 100 percent, according to FOX Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera is the first Detroit player since 1952 to record at least 11 hits in a three-game span, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Cabrera had at least three hits in each game during a three-game series against the Indians, which started Friday. He went 11 for 14 (.786) with one double, two home runs, four runs and six RBI against Cleveland. He also had one walk, one strikeout and one stolen base.

Darin Ruf could be in for some more playing time if he continues to have at-bats like Sunday's. 

Pinch-hitting for Ryan Howard in the seventh inning, Ruf hit a deep solo home run to left field in the Phillies' 4-3 loss to the Nationals. Ruf's homer tied the game in the moment. 

Ruf went without a hit in his first 11 at-bats this season. His home run could give him some confidence at the plate moving forward. 

"You want to be the best player you can be in any role you are in," Ruf said, via MLB.com. "You play yourself into roles, and that role can change through the course of the year. I'm looking to stay positive and keep working hard."

The Dodgers got three home runs from their lineup in Sunday's 7-4 win over the Diamondbacks. 

Yasiel Puig, Alex Guerrero and Joc Pederson all hit home runs in the game. Puig hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth, Pederson hit a solo shot in the sixth and Guerrero hit a two-run home run in the ninth. 

Guerrero totaled four RBI in the game and now holds a .429 batting average. Puig is hitting .136 and Pederson is batting .286. 

''He's been hitting since all last spring, all last year — he can hit,'' Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said about Guerrero, via the Associated Press. ''Our biggest fear was defensively, how he looked last year, but he's been good all through spring.''

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon went 3 for 4 during Sunday afternoon's 6-5 loss to the Cubs. 

One of Blackmon's hits went for a double, which was in the ninth inning. He hit an RBI single in the game too. 

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter went 2 for 5 from the plate in St. Louis' 7-5 win over the Reds Sunday in 11 innings. 

Carpenter got things going in the fifth inning when he singled home both Yadier Molina and Kolten Wong. Then, with the game tied in the 11th, Carpenter ripped a 3-2 pitch from Kevin Gregg to center for his first home run of the year, driving in Kolten Wong. 

Carpenter is now hitting .300 with five RBI in 20 at-bats this season.

Bryce Harper continued his solid start to the young season, opening the scoring in the Nationals' 4-3, 10-inning victory Sunday with a first-inning home run, his second long ball of the season after going deep on Opening Day. 

Harper, hitting third in the Nats' lineup, greeted Phillies starter Sean O'Sullivan with a deep drive to left. It was Harper's only hit of the game, and he finishes the series hitting .261 with two homers and two RBIs on the year. 

Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen returned to the lineup Sunday against the Brewers, going 2 for 5 with a home run and four RBI in Pittsburgh's 10-2 win.

McCutchen, who pushed his average to .190 on the year, ripped the first pitch he saw from Kyle Lohse in the sixth inning to right for his second homer of the year, driving in Gregory Polanco and Jordy Mercer. He then singled to drive in his fourth RBI and sixth of the seeason.

McCutchen thinks the issue with his knee, which kept him out of the lineup Saturday, is going to be there the rest of the year, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

"It's going to be an everyday occurrence for me for who knows how long, but I can battle through it," McCutchen said. "Think about your knee being sore... You can pretty much pinpoint what could bother it."