MLB Player News

Reyes went 1-for-4 with a home run in Saturday's win over the Tigers.

Reyes took Tyler Alexander deep in the seventh inning and has been scorching hot to begin the year -- he has hit safely in each of his last six games while recording back-to-back games with home runs for the first time in 2021. The slugger is hitting .296 with four homers and a 1.072 OPS through 28 plate appearances this season.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's loss to the Braves.

Harper is posting an impressive .471 OBP this season, but fantasy managers who roster him had to be let down by his lack of power and production prior to Saturday. The outfielder quelled some of that concern with his first homer of the season, which gave the Phillies a short-lived one-run lead in the sixth inning. The long ball pushed Harper's RBI total to a modest three for the campaign.

McCutchen went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two total runs scored Saturday in a loss to the Braves.

McCutchen entered the contest with only one extra-base hit to his name for the season before doubling that number with a 444-foot shot to left field in the fifth inning. The long ball pushed the veteran outfielder's batting average back over the Mendoza Line to .208. He also doubled his RBI total to two for the campaign.

Even though Winker (calf) is not starting, he's available to pinch hit and could be back in the lineup Sunday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

With Tyler Naquin on fire, the Reds are back to having four players for three spots in the outfield again. It's possible that Winker and Nick Senzel will have to share some of their starts with Naquin in the immediate future.

Martinez (cold symptoms) was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Saturday.

The 33-year-old was withheld from Saturday's lineup due to cold symptoms, and he'll now be unavailable while on the COVID-IL. The specialized injured list doesn't have a minimum stay, so Martinez could make a quick return to the roster if he continues to test negative for the virus. Michael Chavis was recalled from the alternate training site in a corresponding move.

Ohtani (finger) could throw a bullpen session Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled pitching start for Sunday's game due to a blister, but he could throw once again Monday. It's not yet clear whether the right-hander will throw with a bandage on his finger. Since Ohtani's throwing session would occur Monday, he could miss a full turn through the rotation due to his injury. However, Ohtani has still been able to hit recently and is starting Saturday's game against Toronto as the designated hitter, batting second.

Martinez isn't starting Saturday's game against the Orioles due to cold symptoms, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Martinez started each of the first seven games of the year and went 13-for-30 with nine extra-base hits and 12 RBI while recording hits in every contest. However, he's feeling under the weather Saturday and is in the COVID protocols as a precautionary measure, Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican reports. Christian Vazquez will serve as the designated hitter and bat fourth Saturday.

Harper went 0-for-2 with two walks in Friday's 8-1 loss to the Braves.

Harper continues to have a slow start to the 2021 season. Across 21 at-bats, Harper has only registered one extra-base hit (zero home runs). The superstar outfielder has drawn a walk on 26.7 percent of his plate appearances to help make up for his lack of hits.

Ohtani (finger) will bat second as the designated hitter Saturday against Toronto.

Ohtani was scratched from his scheduled pitching start for Sunday's game due to a blister, but he's still been able to serve as the designated hitter for the Angels. The 26-year-old has gone 9-for-30 with three home runs, eight RBI, seven runs and two stolen bases at the plate this season.

Winker (calf) isn't starting Saturday's game against Arizona.

Winker exited Friday's contest due to calf cramps after he went 3-for-3 with a double, one run and one RBI against the Diamondbacks. Tyler Naquin will fill in as the left fielder and lead off Saturday.