MLB Player News

Harper is starting in right field and hitting leadoff Thursday against the Nationals, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Harper has primarily hit second or third this season, but he'll get a turn atop the order as the slumping Jean Segura is dropped to fifth. In 29 career games as the leadoff hitter, Harper is slashing .273/.362/.573 with eight homers and 19 RBI in 128 plate appearances.

Reyes went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run in Wednesday's 8-7 win over the Brewers.

His seventh-inning shot off Jeremy Jeffress provided the winning runs on the afternoon. Reyes has now reached the 20-HR plateau for the first time in his career, and Wednesday's blast ended a 12-game power drought during which the 23-year-old had slashed .167/.278/.167. Reyes' homers have tended to come in bunches this season, so don't be surprised if he keeps slugging during this weekend's series in Pittsburgh.

Pederson is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Giants, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

As per usual, Pederson will retreat to the bench with a left-hander in Drew Pomeranz toeing the rubber for the Giants. In his place, Kyle Garlick is starting in left field and hitting eighth.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored Tuesday in the Rockies' 8-1 win over the Diamondbacks.

After a huge homestand, Blackmon stayed hot for the first contest of the Rockies' nine-game road swing. Blackmon's seventh-inning single made him the first player in Rockies history to record five consecutive three-hit games. He'll be in the lineup again Wednesday and will look to extend his record.

Winker will serve as the Reds' No. 2 hitter and will start in left field Wednesday against the Astros.

Winker will make his third start in a row in one of the top two spots in the order, with his prior two assignments coming as the leadoff man. It's unclear if manager David Bell plans on sticking with Winker in the top third of the lineup, however, as the Reds won't be playing with all their regulars Wednesday with usual No. 2 hitter Joey Votto gets a breather for the day game.

Pederson went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a win against the Giants on Tuesday.

Pederson took Shaun Anderson deep to begin the first inning for the Dodgers, snapping an 11-game stretch without a home run. The blast was only the fourth hit for Pederson in a brutal June in which he is batting .093 (4-for-43). Still, the slugger ranks among the league leaders with 19 home runs and, with the news of his impending move to first base, figures to continue to be an important part of the Dodgers' offense moving forward.

Pederson has been working at first base and is expected to play there at some point this season, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers have toyed with the idea of using Pederson at first base in the past, but manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that the 27-year-old is "ramping up" his reps at the position and that he expects he'll be deployed there at some point in 2019. The Dodgers will have a logjam in the outfield when A.J. Pollock (elbow) returns from the injured list, so this would be one way to keep giving Pederson his regular share of at-bats when Pollock is back in the fold.

Reyes is back on the bench Tuesday against the Brewers.

Reyes sat for three straight games over the weekend due to neck stiffness, though he returned to the lineup for Monday's contest. It's unclear if Tuesday's absence is a routine one or if the injury has gotten worse. In either case, Josh Naylor will get the start in right field.

Carpenter went 3-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and three runs overall in a win over the Marlins on Monday.

Monday's line was the type Carpenter made the norm beginning just before this point of the season in 2018, which helped the veteran third baseman erase an abysmal start and eventually slug a career-high 36 home runs. Carpenter has been similarly scuffling at the plate for the majority of the current campaign, but there's cautious optimism he could once again be building some summertime momentum. Carpenter has lifted his average 28 points since May 15, and his current .227 figure, middling as it may be, qualifies as his highest since April 14.

Carpenter went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and three runs scored in Monday's 5-0 win over Miami.

Carpenter terrorized Marlins pitchers all night, though his most impressive feat was probably earning a double by bunting down the third-base line while Miami was heavily shifting him. The 33-year-old infielder is up to 10 homers with a .735 OPS this season. He's on pace for his fifth consecutive 20-homer campaign.