MLB Player News

Winker went 4-for-4 with three home runs, an additional run scored and a walk in Friday's win over the Brewers.

Winker socked three solo shots Friday -- two off starter Adrian Houser and one off reliever Josh Lindblom -- and he now has 11 bombs on the year, sitting near the top of the home run leaderboard in the National League. The outfielder has recorded three multi-hit games over his last five contests as well, and while he's not going to launch multiple homers on a game-to-game basis, he's been a consistent hitter. Winker has recorded at least one hit in 11 of his last 15 contests, posting a .362 average in that span.

Pederson went 1-for-3 with a walk, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 12-3 win over the Cardinals.

Pederson batted leadoff for the third straight game and set the tone for the easy win, starting the contest with a home run against Carlos Martinez, his second of the year. The outfielder is starting to look comfortable in a Chicago uniform after a slow start, and he has plenty of fantasy value as long as he's atop the batting order.

Ozuna went 3-for-5 with a walk, two doubles, a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in Friday's 20-1 rout of the Pirates.

His sixth-inning solo shot off Kyle Keller was one of seven homers by Atlanta on the night. Ozuna has had a sluggish start to the season but has picked up the pace somewhat recently, hitting .244 (11-for-45) over the last 11 games with three home runs and five RBI.

Belt (side) is starting at first base and hitting fourth Friday against the Dodgers, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

He hasn't played since May 15 but is back in there for the first game of the series against the division-rival Dodgers. Four of Belt's last nine hits have left the yard and he is hitting .310 over that 10-game stretch.

Ruf went 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, two RBI, four runs scored and a walk Thursday against Cincinnati.

Ruf highlighted his impressive performance with a two-run homer in the third inning -- his sixth of the season. He also added a pair doubles and came around to score on each occasion. With Brandon Belt (side) banged up and Wilmer Flores (hamstring) on the injured list, Ruf could see increased opportunity in the short term.

Pederson went 2-for-5 with an RBI in Thursday's win over the Nationals.

For the second game in a row and sixth time in the last nine contests, Pederson recorded two or more hits. Perhaps more importantly, the outfielder has batted leadoff in consecutive games as well. The Cubs started the season with Ian Happ in that role and have also used Anthony Rizzo and Willson Contreras there. If Pederson can stick in the top spot, he should get more at-bats overall and could see an uptick in runs.

Belt (side) remains on the bench for Thursday's game against the Reds, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt will sit for the sixth straight game as he works through side tightness. Darin Ruf remains the first baseman in his absence.

Pederson went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk in Wednesday's loss to the Nationals.

Pederson didn't come around to score in the 4-3 loss, but it was otherwise an effective night for the leadoff hitter. After a slow start to the season, including some missed time due to a wrist injury, the outfielder is batting an even .400 this month. Pederson may continue to sit against tough lefties, but it looks like he should produce good stats when he's in the lineup for the Cubs.

McCutchen went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk in Wednesday's loss against the Marlins.

The veteran centerfielder provided all the offense the Phillies would muster in this game when he took Trevor Rogers deep in the sixth inning. McCutchen is only hitting .222, but he's on an impressive streak of reaching base safely at least once in 14 straight contests, as he continues to make his presence felt at the top of the Phillies lineup. He's hitting .300 with a .444 on-base percentage during that 14-game span.

Dickerson isn't in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds, Mark W. Sanchez of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

Dickerson will get a breather after he went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run and a double in Tuesday's win over the Reds. Mike Tauchman will shift to left field while Austin Slater starts in center field.