MLB Player News

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes placed his injury issue behind him as he went deep against the Tigers in Game 1 of the American League Division Series Friday night.

Cespedes took Detroit starter Max Scherzer deep for a two-run shot in the seventh inning to cut the lead to one run. He finished 2 for 4 with a run scored and two RBI in a 3-2 defeat.

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will start in left field for Game 1 of the ALDS against Detroit, MLB.com reports. Cespedes had been limited to designated hitter due to a shoulder injury down the stretch of the regular season, but he appears to be over it.

Athletics manager Bob Melvin confirmed Thursday that there's a good chance outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will play left field in Friday's Game 1 against the Tigers, Comcast SportsNet reports.

Cespedes threw Thursday to test his injured shoulder, which limited him to DH duties from Sept. 14 to Sept. 25 before he played three innings in left field on Sept. 27. He went 8 for 37 with three home runs and six RBI during his DH-only stretch.

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera said his abdominal injury will not be an issue during the playoffs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Cabrera has been dealing with the injury during September. He's hitting .348/.442/.636 in 555 at-bats. 

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Wednesday that third baseman Miguel Cabrera has been "playing in a lot of pain," ESPN reports.

"He's not 100 percent," Leyland said. "He's been playing in a lot of pain. He's a real tough guy. I think if anybody knew the pain he's playing in, they probably wouldn't believe it."

Cabrera dealt with multiple injuries over the second half of the season while hitting .316/.411/.565 with 14 home runs and 42 RBI in 193 at-bats after the All-Star break. He hit .365/.458/.674 with 30 home runs and 95 RBI in 362 at-bats during the first half of the season.

The Mets are expected to retain infielder Justin Turner, the New York Daily News reports. 

Turner hit .280/.319/.385 this year, his final pre-arbitration season. Turner is not expected to haul in a contract worth more than $1 million in arbitration, however, so the Mets can afford to keep him around as a utility man for at least one more year.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen became the first Pittsburgh player in history to reach base safely in each of his first four postseason plate appearances Tuesday night in the wild card win over the Reds.

McCutchen went 2 for 3 with two walks in the game as he scored a run in the 6-2 win to put the Pirates into the National League Division Series against the Cardinals. It was Pittsburgh's first playoff win since 1992.

The 26-year-old MVP of the Pirates hit .317 this season with 21 homers, 84 RBI and 27 stolen bases over 583 at-bats. He finished sixth in the NL in runs with 97 and fourth in walks with 78.

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes expects to start on Friday in Game 1 of Oakland's American League Division Series matchup with Detroit, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Cespedes is expected to play the outfield after being limited to DHing down the stretch of the regular season. 

Cespedes said he felt better after taking batting practice Tuesday. After his first two rounds of batting practice, Cespedes had not hit one out of the park. He began warming up after that and ended up taking a couple pitches deep before the session was over. 

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is planning to be in the outfield for the playoffs, according to CSN.

Cespedes has been dealing with an injured elbow, and has been limited to serving as the designated hitter recently. He was able to take batting practice Tuesday after resting his elbow for a few days. He said he would be in the outfield if he had to throw left-handed. Cespedes is a righty. 

In 529 at-bats, Cespedes hit .240/.294/.442. 

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper told the Washington Post he does not plan to have surgery on his left knee this offseason. Harper struggled with knee and hip issues for much of the season, but he says he just needs rest.

"I really don’t see (surgery),” Harper told the Post. “It’s more trying to take the time off and let everything settle down. Everything is just swollen and things like that. I really don’t see going under the knife or anything like that."

Harper played in 118 games this season, hitting .274 with 20 home runs, 58 RBI and 11 stolen bases.