MLB Player News

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt went 2 for 3 with two walks and three RBI in his team's 8-0 wild-card victory over the Pirates Wednesday.

Belt was on base when Brandon Crawford opened up the scoring with a fourth-inning grand slam, and the first baseman tacked on a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh on a pair of singles. Belt and the Giants face the Nationals in Washington Friday in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

Marlins president David Samson said even if the team can't sign outfielder Giancarlo Stanton to a long-term deal, he is still expected to be part of the Marlins' plans next season, per The Miami Herald.

"He’s on this team [in 2015] either way," Samson said. "I can’t wait until after the season to sit down with Giancarlo and [agent] Joel Wolfe and talk about contract. We’re ready. We want him to be a Marlin well past his arbitration years.

"We hope that he believes in us and believes in Miami and believes in the direction of this team and recognizes that he has a chance to be the leader of a successful team for many years to come."

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington told MLB.com the team plans to discuss a contract extension with outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who hit .260 with 22 homers and 100 RBI. Cespedes is owed $10.5 million next season, the final year of his contract.

The Royals activated infielder Christian Colon from the 15-day disabled list Sunday, and he is active for the team's regular-season finale against the White Sox.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley registered his 200th hit of the season Saturday night against the Rays. He singled in the fourth inning for his only hit of the night. He finished 1 for 4 in a 2-0 defeat.

Brantley had never collected more than 159 hits in a season until 2014. He is hitting .327 with 20 homers and 97 RBI over 611 at-bats.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera went 3 for 4 with a double, a home run and two RBI in his team's 11-4 loss to the Twins Friday.

Cabrera collected an RBI single in the fifth inning to put his team within three runs of the lead, but by the time he tacked on a solo home run in seventh, the Tigers were behind six runs with little hope of pulling out the win. The Royals are now one back of the Tigers for the division lead with two games left to play.

Cabrera has put an exclamation point on another fantastic season by homering in back-to-back games. He has hit .315/.373/.528 with 25 home runs and 109 RBI in 604 at-bats. Cabrera has been even better in September, hitting .396/.427/.750 with eight home runs and 18 RBI in 96 at-bats this month.

Royals infielder Christian Colon is getting some time in the Instructional League.

Colon fractured a finger, and has been out of action since September 2. He was able to play six innings during the game, and notched two hits. It's possible the team will carry Colon on the postseason roster if he can show further improvement. 

Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon went 1 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 4-3 loss to the Padres Wednesday.

Blackmon put his team up immediately with a home run to lead off the top of the first inning, but the Padres answered with a three-run blast in the bottom half of the first and didn't relinquish the lead. The outfielder has hit .285/.333/.438 with 19 home runs, 72 RBI and 28 stolen bases in 578 at-bats.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen hit his 25th home run Wednesday against the Braves.

McCutchen struck in the fifth inning. With a man on base, he belted an 87 mph fastball from Julio Teheran out to left. McCutchen also singled during the contest. He finished 2 for 5, with one run scored and two RBI. 

Dodgers second baseman Justin Turner went 2 for 4 with two solo home runs in his team's 4-2 win over the Giants Tuesday.

Turner had just one home run in 35 September at-bats coming into Tuesday but put his team on the board with a first-inning blast and followed it up with another in the eighth. Turner has hit .333/.397/.482 with seven home runs, 41 RBI and six stolen bases in 282 at-bats.