MLB Player News

Winker will lead off Opening Day against the Pirates, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Winker certainly doesn't have the speed of a traditional leadoff man, but he has the on-base skills that fit the modern requirements for the spot (career on-base percentage of .397 through 136 games). He'll be followed by a trio of quality bats in Joey Votto, Yasiel Puig and Eugenio Suarez, so he could be in line for plenty of runs in the Reds' hitter-friendly home park.

Canha went 2-for-3 with a double, a two-run home run and three RBI overall in a seven-inning exhibition win over the Giants on Tuesday.

Canha closed out the Bay Bridge series by compiling 75 percent of his team's runs on the night. The veteran is slated to split starts at first base with Jurickson Profar during Matt Olson's multi-week absence due to a hand injury. He'll head back into regular-season play hot after logging just one plate appearance in the opening two-game series versus the Mariners last week in Japan.

Vogelbach (elbow) went 0-for-3 with a walk in an exhibition loss to the Padres on Tuesday.

Vogelbach had been battling a sore elbow that stemmed from getting plunked in his first plate appearance of the season last Wednesday against the Athletics in Japan. Tuesday's return to action eliminates any lingering question about Vogelbach's availability for Thursday's home opener against the Red Sox.

Jimenez was officially promoted from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday.

Jimenez was optioned to Triple-A on March 13 but his return to the big-league roster has been in the making since he signed a six-year, $43 million extension with the White Sox last week. The 22-year-old top prospect is ticketed to serve as Chicago's everyday starter in left field after posting an impressive .355/.399/.597 slash line in 55 games at Charlotte last season.

Turner has posted excellent numbers this spring, hitting .465/.574/.814 in 18 games.

It's great to see Turner swinging the bat well so far, but the question with him for the past several years has been health, not performance. This time last season, he had just recently broken his wrist, an injury which kept him out until mid-May. It's unwise to read too much into spring stats, but Turner certainly looks healthy right now and should produce numbers in line with his recent seasons for as long as he can stay on the field.

Vogelbach (elbow) will serve as the Mariners' designated hitter and will occupy the cleanup spot in Tuesday's exhibition versus the Padres.

Vogelbach came out of last week's two-game, season-opening series in Japan against the Athletics with a sore left elbow after he was hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance of 2019. After receiving a few days off to treat the injury, Vogelbach's return to the lineup for the Mariners' final spring game suggests he'll be ready to go for the club's stateside opener Thursday versus the Red Sox.

Ohtani (elbow) hit in the cage and threw out to 50 feet Monday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Ohtani is slowly but surely working his way back from Tommy John surgery that he underwent last October. He should be cleared for on-field batting practice soon, barring setbacks. While he remains without a concrete return timeline, the hope is that Ohtani will be ready to serve as the team's designated hitter in May.

Winker played two innings in center field Saturday and four innings there on Sunday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. Winker will still be the starting left fielder, but will also back up Scott Schebler for as long as Nick Senzel is down in the minors. "We need to make sure that we have someone who can play out there," Bell said on Sunday. "Talking to guys that have seen Jesse play out there, he's done it before."

Winker played some center field in the minors at Triple-A Louisville, but he's not especially fleet of foot. The Reds want to leave Yasiel Puig alone in right field, instead of experimenting with playing him in center.

Carpenter (back), who struck out in his only at-bat during a Grapefruit League win over the Marlins on Sunday, will lead off in every inning during a game at minor-league camp Monday, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

The goal is to get Carpenter as many reps at the plate as possible before Thursday's season opener versus the Brewers, considering he missed the last week of Grapefruit League action due to his back issue. In addition to the work he'll get Monday, Carpenter is also set to face Luke Gregerson in a simulated game Tuesday prior to joining his teammates in Milwaukee.

Pederson is starting in left field and leading off in Sunday's exhibition game against the Angels, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Pederson was scratched from Saturday's lineup due to hamstring tightness but makes his return Sunday, as expected. Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that the 26-year-old is scheduled to play all three games against the Angels leading into Thursday's season opener.