MLB Player News

Winker is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Cubs.

Winker has an .882 OPS in June but will head to the bench Friday with left-hander Cole Hamels on the mound for the Cubs. Phillip Ervin will start in left field and bat seventh in his absence.

Vogelbach went 1-for-4 with an RBI double and a run in a loss to the Brewers on Thursday.

Vogelbach opened the scoring on the afternoon for the Mariners with his sixth-inning double, and he subsequently crossed the plate with Seattle's second run courtesy of Tim Beckham's two-bagger. Vogelbach has been a consistent run-producing machine throughout the season, with his 47 RBI ranking behind only Domingo Santana among Seattle players still on the roster. Moreover, his above-average walk rate (18.1 percent) has led to a career-high .385 on-base percentage.

Choi entered Thursday's extra-innings win over the Twins as a pinch hitter in the top of the 10th inning and went 1-for-2 with an RBI infield single and three walks.

Choi opened the game on the bench with southpaw Martin Perez on the hill for Minnesota, but he ultimately got a full allotment of at-bats in the 18-inning marathon. The 28-year-old has reached safely in six of his last seven games, and Thursday's production pushed his season line to a solid .269/.354/.436 across 263 plate appearances.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 8-3 victory over the A's.

Ohtani extended the Angels' lead with a two-run homer off starter Tanner Anderson in the third inning. The 24-year-old also tallied three strikeouts for the first time in over a month. Regardless, Ohtani has been on an absolute tear since coming off the injured list, slashing .290/.352/.519 with 10 home runs, 33 RBI and 22 runs scored over 162 plate appearances.

Belt went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk in Thursday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Belt hit his 10th long ball of the season, this time off rookie starter Alex Young in the fourth inning. Unfortunately, the run was the first and last of the night for the Giants. The 31-year-old has now reached base safely in eight straight games to improve his line to .270/.354/.528 with 39 runs scored and 31 RBI.

Blackmon went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, two RBI and a run scored during Thursday's 12-8 loss to the Dodgers.

Blackmon doubled in his first at-bat and later added a two-run triple, with another base hit sandwiched in between. He came in with just two hits in his last 17 at-bats, but he's a much stronger hitter at home and displayed his affinity for Coors Field once again in this one. Blackmon will face a tough matchup in the second game of the series against Hyun-Jin Ryu on Friday.

Harper went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Thursday against the Mets.

Harper took Zack Wheeler deep in the sixth frame for his 14th homer of the season. Though he has a disappointing .465 slugging percentage through 353 plate appearances, he now has four extra-base hits in his last six starts. It's worth noting that all of that damage has come with the Phillies at home, where Harper has hit significantly better to this point in the campaign.

Dickerson is not in Thursday's lineup against the Diamondbacks, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Dickerson has started six straight games since joining the Giants last week, slashing .429/.500/.857 with one home run, 10 RBI and a stolen base during that stretch. In his absence, Tyler Austin is starting in the outfield and hitting third.

Manager AJ Hinch said Alvarez (knee) was removed from Thursday's game against the Pirates for precautionary reasons, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez was removed from Thursday's game with left knee discomfort after playing three innings in left field. While it doesn't sound like the young slugger is dealing with anything overly serious, the Astros sent him for tests to be sure, per Rome, while Hinch noted that he would probably give Alvarez a "day or two off" to be safe.

Ohtani went 3-for-3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored Wednesday in the Angels' 5-1 win over the Reds.

Ohtani's final hit of the day proved to be the most pivotal, as his single off Raisel Iglesias in the bottom of the eighth put Mike Trout in position for the go-ahead run. Even as Ohtani continues his rehab from Tommy John surgery, the Angels haven't asked him to tone down his aggressive on the bases -- the stolen base was his fourth in 43 games this season. With Los Angeles wrapping up its first-half schedule with 11 games in 11 days -- all in American League parks -- Ohtani shouldn't be in danger of sitting out more than a game or two, making him a worthy lineup option in every format.