MLB Player News

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper has never been one to dial back his intensity, but he told the Washington Post Saturday he is not planning to push himself too hard in his recovery from a knee injury. 

Harper has already tried to play through the case of bursitis in his left knee, and he plans to take his time in his return from the injury this time. Harper may not begin his minor-league rehab assignment Tuesday. 

"I want to take as much time and take as many days as I can," Harper said. "I don't want to just rush into things. If I play Wednesday or Thursday, that's great. If I don't, I'm not going to. If it takes five days, it's going to take five days. If it takes two, then it's going to take two. If it takes more than that, that's how it’s going to be."

Harper's manager, Davey Johnson, had a bit of a different take, however, telling reporters that he will ultimately decide Harper's timeline. 

"I'll have a conversation with him about that," Johnson said. "When a player starts playing, it's really up to me, what I think they need. It's not up to the player. I'm always trying to do what’s best for the player. But at the same time, it's my job to know when they’re ready and when they’re not."

Harper took grounders in the outfield and took flyballs over his shoulder Saturday, and he plans to take batting practice Sunday for the first time. 

Washington outfielder Bryce Harper (knee) is not expected to begin a rehab assignment until Wednesday at the earliest, The Washington Times reports Saturday. 

The Nationals' young outfielder was on track to begin the rehab Tuesday, but said that was probably over-optimistic. He wants to ensure he's 100 percent ready to go. Harper is expected to play in 6-7 rehab games before returning to the Nationals. 

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes played in the outfield for the first time in more than a week Friday, and his return to the field seemed to spark him. Batting just .162 with no home runs in his previous 10 games, Cespedes broke out with his third multi-home run game of June.

Cespedes bookended the game with two-run home runs, one in the first inning and another in the ninth. He went hitless between those shots, finishing the game 2 for 4 with a strikeout and four RBI, in a 6-3 win.

Cespedes has six home runs in the month of June, all of them coming as part of two-homer games. He has 15 home runs and 40 RBI on the season in 236 at-bats. Cespedes is hitting .233 with a .781 OPS on the year. 

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera was stuck in something of a slump entering Friday's game, with just two RBI in his previous nine games. He more than doubled that total with one swing of the bat against the Red Sox, as he clubbed a three-run home run to put the Tigers up briefly in a 10-6 loss.

Cabrera added three more hits to finish 4 for 4 with three RBI and a run scored, while adding a walk. Cabrera leads the American League with a .368 batting average and 74 RBI, while also ranking second in home runs with 20. 

The Marlins are not inclined to trade outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, MLB.com reports.

"Two well-connected sources" told MLB.com the Marlins see Stanton as "a building block, not a trade chip." Although Stanton has been reported to be unhappy with the franchise, Stanton cannot become a free agent until 2017. The Marlins seem to think they can appease the hulking slugger between now and then. Stanton is hitting .263/.354/.500 with seven home runs in 30 games.

Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper, still dealing with left knee bursitis, is slated to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at High Class A Potomac, CSN Washington reports. Harper has been accelerating his workouts since doctors gave him the go-ahead Monday. If the rehab assignment goes well, he could return to the lineup by next weekend.

Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna was given a day off Thursday to clear his head and try to fix his swing, and extra work in the batting cages appeared to do just that.

Ozuna entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth and delivered a two-run single to put the Marlins up for good, in a 2-1 win. It was Ozuna's first RBI in nine games.

"I said, 'Let me do the thing I did in the BP, get that contact,'" Ozuna told the Palm Beach Post. "I broke my slump. I got to come back now to .300."

He was hitting .324 before a 1-for-24 slide. He's hitting .287 with a .728 OPS and 19 RBI in 174 at-bats. 

Nationals manager Davey Johnson had an encouraging update Thursday on the status of outfielder Bryce Harper (knee). Johnson said Harper looked great Thursday as he ran in the outfield.

"He's close," said Johnson, who added Harper will also take batting practice Thursday and could soon be ready for a rehab assignment.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley homered twice Wednesday in a win over the Royals. Brantley, who has four homers on the season, had solo shots in the fifth and eighth innings. 

He was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and a sacrifice fly RBI in the sixth inning of a 6-3 win. 

Brantley is batting .277 and was 0 for 10 in his previous three games before Wednesday. 

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes got the start for the sixth consecutive game as the designated hitter Wednesday in Texas, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Cespedes is back in the DH spot upon the recommendation of A's trainers, according to manager Bob Melvin.

Cespedes' left hamstring is still not 100 percent, though Melvin doesn't believe the issue is hindering his performance. That said, Cespedes has gone 3 for 20 over five starts as the DH. It could be that he hits better when he's playing the field.

"He always wants to play in the field," Melvin said of Cespedes. "Is he getting antsy? I don’t know. … When you’re in the field, you’re always doing stuff, you have a feel for the game. When you DH, you feel like you’re pinch hitting four times."

Melvin said, hitting well or not, he's going to continue penciling Cespedes' name into the lineup. "Regardless, when he’s in the lineup, we’re a better team whether he’s swinging the bat well or not,” Melvin said.