MLB Player News

Winker is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers.

He gets the day off despite a righty (Chase Anderson) being on the mound for the Brewers and Winker's dynamite 1.571 OPS over his last five games. Derek Dietrich moves out to left field in his absence, with Jose Peraza starting at second base.

Vientos went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI for Low-A Columbia on Thursday.

The homer was his sixth of the season, but his first since May 24. Vientos has struggled in his first look at full-season ball, and things haven't been getting better for him -- he's slashing .255/.280/.404 through 12 games in June, and his 1:14 BB:K is a far cry from the strong plate discipline he displayed last year in rookie ball. Vientos is still only 19, so he still has plenty of time to figure things out, but a second-half turnaround would go a long way toward restoring his prospect luster.

Pederson hit a two-run home run in his only at-bat in a win against the Giants on Thursday.

Pederson once again started the game on the bench with a left-hander on the mound but was called upon to pinch hit for Ross Stripling against right-handed reliever Sam Dyson in the seventh. He responded by lacing an opposite-field homer to plate the decisive runs in a game that the Dodgers ultimately pulled out by one. Though he has settled into a platoon role this season, Pederson has nonetheless been an integral part of the Dodgers' offense, contributing 20 long balls and 36 RBI while scoring 44 runs.

Blackmon went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in the Rockies' 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Blackmon's historic stretch of five consecutive three-hit games came to an end in Colorado's last game, but the veteran continued his recent barrage of long balls Thursday, leading off the game with a homer off Robbie Ray. The 32-year-old's recent blistering hot streak has his slash line at an excellent .336/.382/.649 with 17 homers and 48 RBI over 259 at-bats.

Pederson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Giants.

Pederson will sit for a second straight game with the Dodgers facing another lefty in Madison Bumgarner. Kyle Garlick is once again starting in left field in his stead.

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.