MLB Player News

Winker is out of the lineup Wednesday versus the Cardinals.

Winker was on the bench Tuesday with the Cardinals throwing left-hander Jordan Montgomery and he'll remain there Wednesday with young southpaw Matthew Liberatore set to toe the slab. William Contreras is taking a turn as the DH and Victor Caratini is catching.

The Nationals will place Meneses on the paternity list Wednesday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

Meneses will miss at least one and as many as three games to be with his wife as she gives birth to the couple's child. Utility man Jake Alu will be called up from Triple-A Rochester to take Meneses' spot on the 26-man active roster.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays.

He'll remain on the bench for the fourth game in a row, with each of the lefty-hitting Vogelbach's absences coming against left-handed pitching. Vogelbach has held a strong-side platoon role at designated hitter for most of the season, but he could face a threat for work against right-handed pitching with the Mets bringing aboard power-hitting corner infielder Mark Vientos from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

Baker, 26, leads all Triple-A hitters with 14 home runs and has a .302/.436/.669 slash line in 39 games for Memphis.

The rule for players like Baker who will provide zero or negative defensive value is that they need to hit a lot at every level on their path to the majors, and Baker failed in that respect last year at Triple-A, slashing .228/.288/.394 in 124 games. However, he's been so good this season that he can't be completely written off as a Quadruple-A hitter. His 40 percent hard-hit rate and 11.6 percent soft-hit rate are excellent marks, and his 0.80 BB/K is the best ratio of his career. Even so, Baker is stuck behind Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez and Alec Burleson on the organizational depth chart at first base and designated hitter for now.

The Mets recalled Vientos from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

Vientos earned the promotion by putting together a 1.104 OPS with 13 home runs across 166 plate appearances at Syracuse. He might initially only start against lefties but could certainly play his way into an everyday role. Vientos is included in the starting nine against a lefty (Josh Fleming) in Wednesday's game against the Rays, manning third base and batting eighth while the lefty-hitting Brett Baty takes a seat.

Martinez is not in the starting lineup against the Twins on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Martinez will take a seat against right-hander Sonny Gray and Minnesota on Wednesday. Jason Heyward will hit fifth while lining up as the designated hitter.

Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Wednesday that Choi (Achilles) has resumed light baseball activities, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Choi is about four weeks into an estimated eight-week recovery timetable until he's cleared to take part in full baseball activities, but he's able to do a little light hitting and throwing now. He may not be ready for game action until late June or early July while he works his way back from a left Achilles injury.

The Mets plan to recall Vientos from Triple-A Syracuse prior to Wednesday's game against the Rays, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

New York is hoping the 23-year-old can provide a lift to a sputtering lineup, as Vientos had been one of the top performers in the International League this season with a 1.104 OPS, 11.9 percent walk rate and 20.5 percent strikeout rate over 166 plate appearances. The slugger could initially serve as a short-side platoon option at third base or designated hitter, though it wouldn't be surprising if he eventually eclipsed Daniel Vogelbach as the Mets' preferred option at DH. Vogelbach has drawn walks at a prolific rate (16.8 percent) this season but is offering little power production (.119 ISO), an element the Mets could desperately use in their lineup.

Soler went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's win over Washington.

With the Marlins down to their final strike, Soler crushed a two-run shot off Hunter Harvey, giving Miami a 5-4 victory. The 31-year-old Soler has been hot of late, going 14-for-43 with five home runs and 12 RBI in his last 11 games. He's now slashing .238/.317/.503 with 10 homers, 22 RBI and 20 runs scored through 164 plate appearances on the campaign.

Morel is starting in center field and batting third Tuesday against the Astros.

Cody Bellinger (knee) is absent from the lineup for this one, allowing yet another opportunity for Morel to impress. He's gone 9-for-26 (.346) with four homers and nine RBI in six games since his May 8 promotion from Triple-A Iowa. The 23-year-old can also work in at second base for the Cubs as Nico Hoerner recovers from a hamstring strain.