MLB Player News

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with two runs, two walks and a two-run walkoff home run in the 11th inning in a 5-3 victory over Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Carpenter was hitting just .156 coming into the game but he got his second homer of the season with this game-ending blast off J.J. Hoover. It's been a weird season so far for Carpenter, as he has a solid .375 on-base percentage but has struggled to hit for average. The fact that his walk rate has remained so high suggests he's seeing the ball well, and he's a .276 hitter for his career, so Tuesday's multi-hit game could be a sign Carpenter is getting set to start producing like the guy who has an .800-plus OPS in five of his last six seasons.

Pederson practiced fielding grounders at first base Tuesday, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

While the Dodgers don't have any immediate plans to deploy Pederson at first base, the team could explore the option if Cody Bellinger is unavailable to play at some point. Pederson has appeared in six games since the start of the season, going 2-for-15 (.133) with two walks.

Blackmon was scratched from Tuesday's lineup due to quad tightness.

The team has yet to indicate if Blackmon is dealing with a serious injury, although it's possible that pulling him from Tuesday's lineup was a precautionary measure as he recently dealt with a bout of back tightness. With Blackmon out, Mike Tauchman will start in center field while DJ LeMahieu moves up to the leadoff spot.

Turner (wrist) said Tuesday that he still hasn't swung a bat, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Turner is apparently still feeling some "tenderness" in his broken left wrist, so the Dodgers are playing it safe and keeping him from swinging a bat until he's pain-free. The 33-year-old is still unsure when he'll be ready to swing, leaving his return timetable muddled. For now, he remains hopeful to return sometime in May.

Winker (illness) is leading off and playing right field Tuesday against the Phillies.

Winker was held out of the starting nine Monday due to an illness, but he wound up making a pitch-hit appearance in the contest. It seems like the day off was what he needed to get back to 100 percent, so he'll resume his expanded role in the Reds' outfield while Scott Schebler (elbow) is sidelined.

Ozuna went 2-for-5 with a two-run single and a double in a 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Brewers on Monday.

Ozuna's torrid April continues, as he's now hit safely in all eight games of the month, with four of those outings of the multi-hit variety. Surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of his hits have been singles, with only three going for extra bases (a pair of doubles and a home run). Nevertheless, given Ozuna's past body of work and the fact he's clearly seeing the ball well in the early going, the more impactful hits figure to come sooner rather than later.

Cespedes went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Monday's 4-2 win over the Marlins, and manager Mickey Callaway acknowledged after the game that the outfielder has been playing through flu-like symptoms, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. "He feels good enough to play," Callaway said. "He wasn't hesitating ... so he's going to go out there and play."

Cespedes has still been contributing despite being less than 100 percent -- he drove in the winning run in the 12th inning Sunday with a single, and threw out Braxton Lee at second base Monday when the speedy Marlin tried to stretch a single into a double. However, he's now 1-for-15 over the last three games with eight strikeouts, and in fact he's struck out multiple times in five straight contests. DFS players will want to consider shying away from Cespedes until he shows he's shaken off this bug.

Blackmon (back) will return to the lineup Monday against the Padres, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon was removed from Saturday's contest due to a sore back, but he'll ultimately miss just one game as a result of the injury. He's tabbed to bat leadoff and play center field as usual in his return to action.

Winker is absent from the lineup Monday due to an illness, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

It seemed strange that Winker would sit out given that a right-hander is throwing for Philadelphia and that Scott Schebler (elbow) is on the disabled list, but it appears that the sickness is to blame. The outfield prospect will likely need just a day or two to rest up before returning to the lineup, so consider him day-to-day for now. Phillip Ervin will move into the starting nine to replace him.

Winker is not in the lineup Monday against the Phillies.

Winker projects to play nearly every day for the next week now that Scott Schebler (elbow) is on the disabled list, but the outfield prospect will take a seat for his first off-day since April 1. Phillip Ervin will take over in right field to replace him.