MLB Player News

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton was sent off the field in an ambulance after being struck in the face by a Mike Fiers pitch Thursday night. The incident happened in the top of the fifth inning, as Stanton was drilled by an 88 mph fastball.

He was stretchered out of the field and taken to a local hospital for tests. Stanton was in the midst of his best season in the majors. He owns a .288/.397/.556 slash line with 37 homers and 105 RBI over 538 at-bats.

After visiting a concussion doctor, Giants first baseman Brandon Belt has been cleared for full baseball activities on Thursday, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Belt  has been sidelined since Aug. 6 after taking a ball to the face during warmups. He batted .237 with 11 homers and 24 RBI over 186 at-bats.

Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler went yard Wednesday against the Blue Jays.

Soler struck in the seventh inning. With the bases empty, Soler clubbed a 92 mph fastball out to right for the solo shot. It was Soler's only hit of the night. He finished 1 for 4, with one run scored and one RBI. 

Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna went 1 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 4-1 loss to the Brewers Wednesday.

Ozuna delivered his opposite-field blast in the seventh inning, but it was all the offense the Marlins would muster in the game. It was his third straight game with a home run, and the outfielder is 12 for 24 in his last six games. Ozuna has hit .270/.319/.460 with 22 home runs and 83 RBI in 522 at-bats.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 4 with a walk and a solo home run in his team's 6-3 win over the Phillies Wednesday.

McCutchen's home run was an inside-the-park job, as he smacked the ball to the deepest part of the field and watched it bounce off the angled wall and away from the pursuing fielder. McCutchen was able to motor across home plate with a stand-up home run. He has hit .311/.403/.539 with 23 home runs, 75 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 492 at-bats.

Giants first baseman Brandon Belt will see a concussion doctor in Pittsburgh Wednesday, and the team hopes he'll be fully cleared to resume baseball activities, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

Belt has been sidelined since Aug. 6 after taking a ball to the face during warmups. He has hit .237/.296/.446 with 11 home runs and 24 RBI in 186 at-bats.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper went 1 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 6-2 defeat against the Braves Wednesday.

Harper's home run ended up being inconsequential to the outcome of the game, as he took Braves closer Craig Kimbrel deep in the ninth inning to cut the lead to four before Kimbrel finished off the win. Harper has hit .266/.337/.424 with 12 home runs and 30 RBI in 304 at-bats.

The Marlins plan to offer outfielder Giancarlo Stanton the most lucrative contract in franchise history this offseason, USA Today reports.

"He's the leader of this franchise,'' team president David Samson said. "We always knew the talent he had, but what he's done this year, playing every day, he's the definition of a game-changer. We call him a no-food player. A no-bathroom player. When he comes to the plate, nobody leaves their seat. There's no question he's the MVP of this league.''

Stanton leads the National League with 37 home runs and 105 RBI. He said he's interested to hear the Marlins' plans this winter.

Mariners infielder Brad Miller had another solid game Monday against the Rangers, his second multi-hit effort in the last three games.

Miller played a big part in the 4-1 win, as he broke a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning with a two-run triple. He finished the game 2 for 4 with two RBI and one run scored.

Miller is now 8 for 20 with four extra-base hits and six RBI in seven games in September, raising his season line to .217/.289/.366 in 336 at-bats.  

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera, who hobbled off the field in the seventh inning Sunday after aggravating his injured ankle, was back in the starting lineup Monday against the Royals, but at DH.

Cabrera has been dealing with a bone spur in his right ankle for several weeks, prompting speculation that he'll need surgery in the offseason. But manager Brad Ausmus said that's not necessarily the case.

"I don't know where that came from, because we don't know what is going to happen," he said. "The consensus is that there's one spur causing the aggravation."

Cabrera hasn't let the injury slow him at the plate. He's batting .500 (15 for 30) with five home runs in his last seven games.