MLB Player News

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.”

As expected, Indians outfielder Michael Brantley missed a fourth straight start Wednesday against the White Sox due to a back injury. Mike Aviles started in left field Wednesday after Jerry Sands started in Brantley's absence the previous two days.

The Indians are considered favorites (-135) for Wednesday's game.

In his final plate appearance of the game on Tuesday, Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton batted without his customized helmet face guard he'd been wearing since his season-ending beaning from last year, reports MLB.com. 

"It's confidence for him," Marlins manager Mike Redmond said. "I think that's probably a big step. He swung the bat well. His at-bats were good."

Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton broke a three-game hitless streak Tuesday, going 3 for 3 with two doules and four RBI against the Braves.

Stanton entered Tuesday's game hitting .130 with one double and three RBI.

'"We got a win, so that's the biggest part," Stanton said after ending a 0-for-12 slump. "Contributing to that is good for us and we need a series tomorrow."