MLB Player News

Pederson is starting in left field and hitting eighth against the Padres on Friday.

The outfielder slides back into the lineup after sitting Wednesday, drawing a rare start against a southpaw as the Dodgers take on Eric Lauer. Pederson is just 2-for-14 against lefties this year, which has left him in a platoon role for much of the season, but with A.J. Pollock on the injured list, he could start to see more opportunities to improve on his historically drastic splits.

Dickerson's contract was purchased from Triple-A El Paso on Friday.

Back surgery in 2017 and Tommy John surgery in 2018 kept Dickerson out of baseball entirely for two straight seasons. The 28-year-old owns a career .257/.331/.448 slash line in 95 games for the Padres in 2015 and 2016 and hit .360/.462/.593 in 24 games for El Paso prior to his promotion. Luis Perdomo was optioned to clear a spot on the 25-man roster, while Brett Kennedy (lat) was moved to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot on the 40-man.

Ford is in the lineup as the DH, hitting fifth against the Twins on Friday.

The 26-year-old slides into the starting lineup for the first time since April 25. He's hitting just .167 in 24 at-bats since his callup from Triple-A Scranton Wilkes/Barre, but he has drawn eight walks to give him a solid .394 on-base percentage.

Ohtani (elbow) is expected to be activated before the Angels' three-game series against the Royals beginning May 17, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Angels have finally set a date for Ohtani's return after a few weeks of speculation on when the two-way star would come off the injured list. Ohtani has been hitting in simulated games for nearly two weeks now and has stated that he feels healthy enough to play, but Los Angeles will hold him out until mid-May to ensure he's good to go.

Jimenez (ankle) could begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.

Jimenez sprained his ankle last week but is already making encouraging progress in his recovery. The outfielder took batting practice with a brace on his ankle Wednesday before hitting off a tee Thursday. If he continues to progress without setbacks, Jimenez may not be forced to miss much more than the minimum amount of time.

Choi is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Royals, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With southpaw Danny Duffy on the mound for Kansas City, Choi and fellow lefty-hitting regular Kevin Kiermaier will hit the bench in the series finale as the Rays stock up on extra right-handed bats. Choi started in both ends of Wednesday's doubleheader loss, going 0-for-4 in the early game and 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in the nightcap.

Winker will bat leadoff and start in left field Thursday against the Mets.

The 25-year-old will get his first look atop the lineup since April 14, presumably as a result of Joey Votto resting more than anything else. The Reds should use their more traditional starting nine in Friday's series opener against the Giants, so Winker likely will will shift down to the No. 3 or 4 spot in the lineup for that contest.

Blackmon went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, two runs and a walk in Colorado's 11-4 win over the Brewers on Wednesday.

Blackmon has found his stroke after a slow start, as he's now hit safely in 16 out of 18 games since April 12. The strong recent run of form has boosted the 32-year-old's slash line up to .280/.341/.464 to go along with three homers and 16 RBI over 125 at-bats.

Soler went 2-for-4 with two RBI, a run scored and a double in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Rays.

Soler went 0-for-3 in Game 1 but came alive early in Game 2, as he did all his damage through the first three innings. The 27-year-old has endured a slow start to the season and is slashing .231/.283/.479 with seven home runs and 19 RBI in 31 games.

Ozuna went 3-for-4 with a walk, double, RBI and two runs scored Wednesday against Washington.

Ozuna played a big role in the Cardinals' offense Wednesday, reaching base four times and also doubling in a run. He has benefited from hitting in the cleanup role, racking up 29 RBI for the season and 13 across his last 10 games. After a down power season in 2018, Ozuna is slugging .635 through 119 plate appearances.