MLB Player News

Nationals manager Davey Johnson was planning on sitting outfielder Bryce Harper for the final two games of the weekend series with the Padres, but Harper made it known that he was not pleased with this plan.

Harper sent Johnson a text message and then spoke with him prior to Saturday's game and Johnson ultimately relented, putting Harper in left field and third in the lineup. The message Harper sent Johnson, jokingly?

"Play me or trade me."

"Since a trade is out of the question, I decided to play him," Johnson told reporters with a smile.

It is not yet clear if Harper will get his way yet again if Johnson wants to give him Sunday off. 

Nationals manager Davey Johnson indicated Friday that outfielder Bryce Harper will likely be out of the starting lineup against the Padres Saturday and Sunday, MLB.com reports.

"I'll probably give Harper a couple days off," Johnson told MLB.com. "I think he's just fighting himself ... He's just … coming back from the long layoff, I think [he] hadn't had much break when he came back. I just need to back off him a little bit."

Harper went 0 for 4 against the Padres Friday, making him 0 for 15 over his last four games after hitting a home run in his return on July 1.

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera made his presence felt in his first game back from a sore back Friday night against the Indians.

Cabrera singled in a run in the third inning for his only hit of the night. He finished 1 for 5 with an RBI in a 7-0 victory. He is hitting .361/.451/.663 with 26 homers and 86 RBI in 332 at-bats.

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was moved to the No. 6 spot in the lineup Friday night against the Royals.

Cespedes has just six hits in his last 40 at-bats. He is hitting .158 with one RBI over his last five games. Manager Bob Melvin expects Cespedes to hit third or fourth regularly, according to The Mercury News.

Mariners shortstop Brad Miller will get a crack at the leadoff spot for the first time this season Friday night at Cincinnati, according to The Seattle Times. Miller is batting .200 (4 for 20) with two walks, two doubles and an RBI in six games played.

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera is back in the lineup for Friday's game against Cleveland, MLive.com reports.

Cabrera missed Thursday's game against Toronto with soreness in the left side of his lower back. Cabrera had started all 83 games prior to Thursday's, and the back injury isn't expected to impact his otherwise sterling durability.

Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna snapped out of a mini-slump Thursday, as he had a huge game in a 4-3 win over the Braves.

Ozuna went 3 for 5 in the game, with his third home run of the season. Ozuna drove in another run with an RBI single, finishing the game with two RBI. He also stole one base, his fifth of the season.

Ozuna is now hitting .293 with a .750 OPS, three home runs and 29 RBI in 225 at-bats. 

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera will sit Thursday against the Blue Jays after he was removed from Wednesday's game with back tightness. Manager Jim Leyland does not consider the injury serious, though it has lingered for a few days.

"I think it probably tightened up on him," Leyland told MLB.com Wednesday. "Like I said, I don't know how it happens like it does, but it does seem to happen. We've been on turf now for six straight days. Guys aren't used to that. I think there's probably something to that. You're on the dirt, and then on the turf, and you're running the bases on the dirt and then you hit the turf. I don't really have an answer for it other than the back's bothering him and I'm not going to play him [Thursday]."

It does not appear as if this is a serious concern, but this is the first time he will not start this season. He has missed just one game in each of the previous two seasons.

For the first time since early April, Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen was able to push his batting average to .300 against the Phillies Wednesday.

McCutchen went 3 for 3 with a pair of walks to raise his average from .293 to .300. He added a triple and scored twice in a 6-5 win.

McCutchen has spent the last two months making up for a poor April, when he batted just .247. He hit .324 in May and .303 in June, and is already 4 for 6 in two games in July. 

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera (back) returned to action Wednesday in Toronto after he left Tuesday's game early. Cabrera went 0 for 4 with a walk and two strikeouts in a 6-2 win at the Blue Jays. Cabrera is still batting .364 on the season for the Tigers.