MLB Player News

Blackmon went 3-for-5 in a 10-6 loss to the Dodgers on Friday.

Blackmon was in a 1-for-12 skid coming into the contest, but he broke out with a three-hit effort from atop the order to bump his batting average up to .286 through 35 at-bats. It's been a slow start for the veteran on the power front, as he's still searching for his first long ball and is slugging just .343 so far this season.

Buxton (back) is not starting Friday against the Phillies.

Buxton wasn't in the lineup Wednesday after leaving Tuesday's game with a sore back. He did enter that contest as a pinch runner, but he's not ready to hit even after Thursday's off day. Max Kepler stars in center with Jake Cave in right.

Pederson is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Pederson will once again head to the bench with southpaw Tyler Anderson taking the mound for Colorado. Chris Taylor grabs another start in left field and will bat seventh. According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Pederson will return to the starting nine Saturday and Sunday with the Rockies scheduled to use a pair of right-handed starters. The 26-year-old hasn't started since last Sunday with the Dodgers facing a string of left-handers.

Ozuna (side) is back in the lineup Friday against San Diego, Rob Rains of StLSportsPage.com reports.

Ozuna was scratched from the lineup Wednesday against the Pirates with side tightness and underwent an MRI on Thursday's off day, but he's evidently avoided serious injury. It's possible that the minor injury has affected his performance so far, as he has just a single extra-base hit and eight strikeouts through five games, but the team apparently feels he'll be able to play through the issue.

Martinez went 2-for-5 with a solo home run Thursday against the Athletics.

Martinez took Brett Anderson deep for his third homer of the season in the third inning. He continues to perform exceptionally well at the plate, as he has now reached base in all eight games this season.

Ohtani (elbow) believes he'll be ready to play by the end of April, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani has been making solid progress in his rehab, and he's most recently progressed to taking batting practice on the field. He's also thrown out to 60 feet, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. While Ohtani is adamant that he feels great, it'll ultimately be up to the Angels' training staff to determine when he'll return to game action.

Belt went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Dodgers.

Belt began and ended the three-game series against the Dodgers with multi-run homers. In addition to being known for his inability to stay healthy, the 30-year-old is also notorious for going on homer binges. Belt's fantasy owners are hoping this is the beginning of one those patented hot streaks.

Vientos will begin the season with Low-A Columbia, Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com reports.

The South Atlantic League affiliate is going to be a scouting mecca this year, with Vientos (the Mets' No. 3 fantasy prospect), Ronny Mauricio (No. 4) and Shervyn Newton (No. 5) all manning the infield. Vientos' numbers in the Appy League in 2018 -- .287/.389/.489 with 11 homers and a strong 37:43 BB:K in 60 games -- suggest a future middle-of-the-order hitter once he's ready for the majors in a few years.

Ozuna (side) will undergo an MRI on Thursday, Jim Hayes of FOX Sports Midwest reports.

Ozuna was scratched from Wednesday's contest due to right side tightness. After the game manager Mike Shildt expressed some concern Ozuna could be dealing with an intercostal injury, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Ozuna should be considered day-to-day for the time being, while Tyler O'Neill and Jose Martinez are the top options to take over in left field should he remain out of the lineup.

Winker went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's loss to the Brewers to drop to 0-for-13 on the season.

As was the case on Opening Day, Winker hit a couple of rockets that were nonetheless caught. He's been more unlucky than bad, as opposed to teammate Scott Schebler, who has either struck out or hit feebly into outs so far.