Ohtani went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Rockies.

Ohtani's bat is heating up again, as he's gone 5-for-14 with three homers and eight RBI over his last four games. A trip to Colorado's thin air to visit the Rockies' poor pitching certainly helps the cause. Ohtani is up to 28 homers on the year, including six over 24 contests in a relatively tame June for the superstar. He's added a .291/.392/.633 slash line, 52 RBI, 80 runs scored, 12 doubles, six triples and 11 stolen bases across 80 games this season. Ohtani will look to keep mashing as the Dodgers begin a three-game road trip in Kansas City, which is also expected to include his next pitching appearance this weekend.

Winker (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment with High-A Brooklyn on Sunday, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.

Winker was officially cleared for rehab games after taking batting practice at Citi Field on Thursday. The 31-year-old is eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list July 4 and has a good shot to return on that date. Winker has been shelved since early May with a Grade 2 oblique strain. Upon his return, Winker should see plenty of action at designated hitter versus right-handed pitching.

Young is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against Atlanta.

After making three consecutive starts against right-handed pitching, the left-handed-hitting Young will now take a seat versus a righty (Didier Fuentes) for the second day in a row. With a .642 OPS and 78 wRC+ in 44 plate appearances with the Mets, Young has been a below-league-average hitter since being called up from Triple-A Syracuse on May 24. Given his weak production at the plate and lack of defensive flexibility, Young could be a prime candidate to get demoted to Triple-A when the Mets need to open up a roster spot for Mark Vientos (hamstring), who could be activated from the injured list as soon as Thursday.

Bell is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports.

The switch-hitting Bell has received most of his days off against left-handed pitching of late, but he'll head to the bench Wednesday against a right-hander (Nick Pivetta) as the Nationals open up a spot on the lineup for Alex Call. Bell had started in each of the Nationals' last four games, going 5-for-16 with a home run to bring his OPS up to .624 for the season.

McCutchen is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's game in Milwaukee.

McCutchen had started each of the previous eight contests but will get a breather in Wednesday's series finale. Bryan Reynolds will receive a day off from playing the outfield and will replace McCutchen at designated hitter.

Grichuk is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Grichuk will get a breather for the day game after he had started in each of the last seven games -- five in right field, two at designated hitter -- while going 6-for-25 with two extra-base knocks, one walk, four RBI and five runs. With Corbin Carroll (wrist) on the injured list, Grichuk and the left-handed-hitting Jake McCarthy could end up settling into a platoon in right field, though McCarthy (.246 OPS in 51 plate appearances in the majors this season) may need to raise his performance before he emerges as the preferred option against right-handed pitching.

Ohtani went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run during Tuesday's 9-7 win over the Rockies.

Ohtani delivered a two-run home run off Ryan Rolison in the sixth inning to give the Dodgers an 8-3 lead. Since the start of June, Ohtani is 23-for-86 (.267) with five homers, three doubles and two triples over 22 games. He's one of three players in baseball with an OPS above 1.000.

Smith started at first base and went 1-for-4 in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the White Sox.

Smith got the nod at first when Josh Naylor (shoulder) was scratched. The latter suffered a shoulder injury on an aggressive swing during Monday's game and was eventually removed from that contest. The fact he was nearly ready to play Tuesday suggests Naylor could start Wednesday. In that event, Smith would likely move back to designated hitter with Arizona set to face Chicago right-hander Sean Burke.

Winker (oblique) is on track to begin a minor-league rehab assignment by this weekend, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets shifted Winker from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL earlier Tuesday, but he's nearly ready to play in games and will initially serve as a designated hitter during his rehab assignment. He is eligible for activation July 4 and should be ready to go at that time, barring any setbacks. Once reinstated, Winker could settle back into a strong-side platoon role for the Mets.

Ballesteros is slashing .336/.396/.504 with eight home runs across 62 games for Triple-A Iowa.

Ballesteros is tied for the International League lead in hits with 81 as he continues to knock on the door of the majors. The 21-year-old made his MLB debut back in May, appearing in five games for the Cubs while Ian Happ was on the injured list. Ballesteros could get the call the next time Chicago needs someone to fill in temporarily, but he may force his way into an even bigger role based on his performance in the minors. Ballesteros remains an intriguing prospect with plenty of fantasy potential, particularly if he sticks behind the plate long-term.