MLB Player News

Winker isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Pirates, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds are opposing a right-handed pitcher (Trevor Williams) in their second game of the season, leaving the lefty-hitting Winker's exclusion from the starting nine somewhat of a surprise. Manager David Bell may just be looking to keep his bench players sharp early in the season, as Matt Kemp draws in for Winker in left field. Winker is still expected to start the overwhelming share of the Reds' games and serve as the team's primary table setter.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Friday's 6-1 win over the Marlins.

After a rough 0-for-5 showing Opening Day, Blackmon found his groove at the plate, lashing an RBI double in the seventh inning and driving in another run with a single in the ninth. The 32-year-old saw his numbers decline a little in 2018, but he should remain an impact fantasy contributor this season with Coors Field buoying his stats for half his games.

Belt is out of the lineup for Friday's game against San Deigo, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Belt took the collar on Opening Day, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. and will likely have to wait until Saturday to pick up his first hit of the 2019 campaign, barring a pinch-hit appearance. Buster Posey will slot in at first base, allowing for Erik Kratz to start behind the plate.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Arizona, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Dodgers will grant Chris Taylor the start in left field with left-hander Robbie Ray slated to pitch the second contest of the season for the Diamondbacks. Pederson launched two homers Opening Day but will take a seat Friday.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a solo homer, a walk and a second run scored in Thursday's victory over the Braves.

McCutchen couldn't have started his Phillies career any better, launching a leadoff homer off Julio Teheran in the home side's first at-bat of the season. He later walked to lead off the seventh inning and was eventually driven in by Rhys Hoskins' grand slam. Locked into the leadoff spot with quality hitters behind him in a hitter-friendly park, McCutchen could be in line for a late-career renaissance and is a good bet to score plenty of runs.

Carpenter (back) went 0-for-4 in a season-opening loss to the Brewers on Thursday.

Carpenter was true to his word about being ready to roll for Opening Day after a back injury limited him to 23 at-bats in Grapefruit League play. The veteran was back in his customary leadoff spot, one in which he slashed .264/.380/.539 with 60 extra-base hits (30 doubles, 30 home runs) and 60 RBI last season over 436 at-bats. Carpenter will look to avoid the type of slump that sunk his first full month of the season in 2018 (.145 average in April), which should be a bit easier to accomplish with Paul Goldschmidt now hitting behind him in the No. 2 hole.

Belt batted second and went 0-for-4 in Thursday's 2-0 loss to San Diego.

Belt's Opening Day stat line was forgettable, but his placement second in the order against a southpaw was notable. The 30-year-old figures to bat in the heart of the order against righties, but the club lacks proven right-handed threats against lefties, opening the door for Belt to move up the order instead of down against same-handed pitchers. The move -- combined with Belt's excellent on-base skills -- should boost his run production when he is not being asked to drive in runs against right-handed starters.

Pederson went 3-for-5 with a pair of home runs and a double to help the Dodgers to a 12-5 romp over the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

On an explosive Opening Day for the Dodgers, Pederson starred hitting atop the lineup, cranking two of his team's eight home runs on the afternoon. He'll make a strong case to keep garnering at-bats in the leadoff role if he can parlay the Opening Day fireworks into a sustained hot streak, but his .170 batting average over 53 at-bats against left-handed pitching last year likely means Pederson will frequently find himself sitting against southpaws.

Reyes not only is in the Padres' Opening Day starter in right field, but he's batting cleanup against Madison Bumgarner.

The surprise here is that Reyes got the start ahead of Hunter Renfroe, who was the incumbent starter. But if this holds, this is a pretty sweet spot for Reyes.

Pederson is leading off and starting in left field Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

This is a best-case scenario for Pederson. We know he will sit against most lefties, but if he leads off against righties, he will be relevant in many formats. A.J. Pollock is hitting fifth against Zack Greinke.