MLB Player News

Winker (shoulder) made a pinch-hit appearance against the Brewers on Monday, drawing a walk in the eighth inning.

Winker has now missed four consecutive starts with a sore right shoulder and his status for Tuesday is uncertain, but the Reds' willingness to use him off the bench suggests he is not in imminent danger of landing on the DL. The 24-year-old hasn't done much of note so far this season, but he is getting on base at a .413 clip, so he should continue to see starts atop the order against right-handed pitching.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Monday's 8-6 win over the Mets.

While his bases-loaded single in the eighth inning was a more crucial blow in the contest, as it kick-started the Nats' six-run comeback, it's Harper's first-inning solo shot off Jacob deGrom that will be on repeat in highlight packages for a while. Despite being sawed off by an inside fastball that broke his bat at the handle, he still muscled the ball over the fence to right-center and trotted around the bases holding the stump. Harper now leads MLB with eight home runs while sporting an otherworldly .315/.487/.778 slash line.

Winker (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers.

It will be Winker's fourth straight game out of the lineup with shoulder soreness, though with the Reds facing a lefty in Brent Suter, there's a chance he would have sat regardless of his shoulder issue. Phillip Ervin will again start in right field.

Cespedes is not in the lineup Monday against the Nationals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

It's Cespedes' first time out of the lineup this season. The 32-year-old has three homers through 14 games, but the rest of his stat line is not living up to his lofty standards. He's striking out 40.6 percent of the time (fifth-highest among qualified players) en route to a .190/.266/.362 line. Michael Conforto will slide over to left field in his absence, with Juan Lagares starting in center.

Harper went 1-for-2 with three walks and a solo home run in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Rockies.

Tyler Anderson gave him one hittable pitch in the first inning, and the Rockies were careful not to make that mistake again for the rest of the game. Harper leads the majors with seven homers through 16 games, and his 14 RBI and 15 runs are even more impressive considering how often he's been pitched around -- he also leads MLB with 20 free passes.

Carpenter went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a 3-2 win over the Reds on Sunday.

Carpenter's early season contact issues continued Sunday, as he posted his sixth multi-strikeout game over the last eight. He's whiffed at least once in 11 of the last 12 contests overall, as well, leading to a 28.8 percent strikeout rate over his first 66 plate appearances. Given the relatively small sample, the fact that Carpenter has never posted a strikeout rate higher than 22.7 percent in his career and his unsustainably low .194 BABIP, the 32-year-old infielder's fortunes at the plate are bound to turn around soon, although to what extent remains to be seen.

Ozuna is not in the lineup Sunday against the Reds.

Ozuna went hitless Saturday for the first time since March 31, and his average currently sits at a solid .288 mark. He's knocked two homers and driven in 10 runs but has surprisingly only walked once this season after posting a 9.4 percent walk rate in 2017. With Ozuna on the bench, Harrison Bader will step in and man left field. The starter should be back in there Monday against the Cubs.

Winker (shoulder) is not in the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals.

Winker's sore right shoulder continues to bother him, so he'll take a seat for a third consecutive game. He remains a day-to-day case moving forward. Phillip Ervin draws the start in right field, batting eighth in his stead.

McCutchen went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two walks Saturday against the Padres.

McCutchen managed to hit his second home run of the season in the fifth inning off left-handed pitcher Clayton Richard. He has gotten off to a slow start with his new club, now slugging just .357 for the season. He had a similarly slow start last season and rebounded to produce valuable numbers in June and July -- so it isn't time to panic yet.

Blackmon went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer against the Nationals on Saturday but also struck out three times.

The Rockies had trouble getting to Max Scherzer in this one, and outside of the home run, Blackmon was no different. This was his first game since Monday, so the strikeout-heavy performance could be a result of rust at the plate. Regardless, Blackmon now holds a 1.054 OPS on the season. He looks to be a staple around the top portion of the Rockies' lineup, though he could spend the next few days as the three-hitter (rather than leading off) in order to replace the suspended Nolan Arenado.