MLB Player News

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's win over the Cubs.

McCutchen had gone 0-for-11 since returning from a minor knee issue May 22, so Saturday's healthy stat line should ease his owners' thoughts going forward. The 31-year-old is slashing .239/.346/.378 as he continues to try and climb out of his anemic start to the year. He has been able to provide decent counting stats (28 runs and 20 RBI) to help offset the negative value in average.

Turner went 1-for-3 with two walks and a solo home run in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Padres.

It took him 11 games, but Turner finally launched his first homer after missing the first seven weeks of the season with a broken wrist. While his power stroke has been lacking, the 33-year-old still sports a solid .282/.364/.436 slash line, and he should continue to produce strong fantasy value hitting in the middle of the Dodgers' lineup.

Winker is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies.

The 24-year-old will take as seat as interim manager Jim Riggleman goes with Adam Duvall and Brandon Dixon in the outfield corners against lefty Tyler Anderson. Winker is just 4-for-32 against left-handed pitching so far this season.

Ozuna, who was benched for the Cardinals' last game Wednesday for arriving to the ballpark late, went 2-for-3 with a double in his return to the starting lineup against the Pirates on Friday.

Ozuna's unfortunate case of oversleeping interrupted a two-game hot streak in which he'd gone 5-for-7 with an RBI, a walk and two runs. However, he was able to pick right up where he left off, posting a third straight multi-hit effort on what was an otherwise bleak night for the Cardinals offense. Ozuna has already raised his average 26 points to .260 during the three-game stretch, a sign he may finally be ready to start delivering on his considerable offensive upside.

Cespedes (hip) began his running program Friday, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

Cespedes took batting practice for the first time Friday since hitting the disabled list May 13 and appears to be ramping up his rehab work. The timetable for the 32-year-old's return and whether he needs a minor-league rehab assignment remains unclear, so Brandon Nimmo should continue to see an increased role for the Mets in Cespedes' absence.

Cespedes (hip) took batting practice on the field prior to Thursday's matchup against Milwaukee, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

Cespedes took the next step in his recovery process by getting in some swings during batting practice -- this was the first time he's been able to participate in BP since hitting the disabled list May 13. His timetable for a return remains unclear, but it's good news that he was finally able to swing a bat.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

The 24-year-old's shot to left-center field proved to be the difference in the Reds' 5-4 win. It was the first home run of the season for Winker after he hit seven homers in just 121 at-bats last year. There's probably more power to come, but Winker is not hitting for a high average nor is he playing everyday, making him tough to deploy in shallower mixed leagues.

Cespedes (hip) will accompany the Mets on their eight-game road trip beginning Thursday, but he still has no clear timetable for his return from the disabled list, Daniel Popper of The New York Daily News reports. "Obviously he's got to run and all those things before he gets active," manager Mickey Callaway said Wednesday. "But yeah, I think the next step is to get outside, take some BP, make sure he's comfortable continuing to swing, and then we'll get him on the bases and test that out next."

The 32-year-old has been out since May 13, and while it's encouraging that he's traveling with the team, this is just a case of the training staff wanting to monitor his progress rather than his return to action being imminent. Expect Cespedes' timetable to become clearer once he's able to run and swing a bat without issues.

Ozuna overslept and did not report to the ballpark on time, which is why he was a late scratch from Wednesday's lineup against the Royals, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

It sounds like it was a one-game benching, and the Cardinals and Ozuna will put the issue behind them heading into this weekend's series in Pittsburgh. Tyler O'Neill got the start in left field and went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and a run. Ozuna is hitting .253/.295/.331 with three home runs and three steals in 190 plate appearances.

Choi was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs after Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

With Ryan Braun (back) getting activated from the disabled list, the Brewers no longer needed Choi to serve as the backup first baseman. He is 4-for-15 with one home run and seven strikeouts in his brief work in the majors this season.