MLB Player News

McCutchen went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs in Friday's 10-4 win over the Twins.

McCutchen opened the game with a walk and scored on Jean Segura's double. He later walked in the seventh inning and came around to score on Rhys Hoskins' single. The outfielder's eight runs scored tie him for ninth in the league, as he's clearly enjoying his new park and new lineup.

Reyes is on the bench Saturday against St. Louis.

Hunter Renfroe will get the nod in right field in Reyes' absence. Reyes still has the early season edge in playing time, starting six games to Renfroe's four, but he's gone just 2-for-19 at the plate, so that could change soon.

Winker is not in the lineup Saturday against the Pirates.

Winker is just 1-for-19 so far this season, though Matt Kemp, who will bat cleanup and play left field Saturday, hasn't been any better.

Buxton (back) is starting in center field and hitting eighth Saturday against the Phillies, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports

He needed three days to recover from the bruised back he suffered when he slammed against the outfield wall Tuesday but fortunately did not need a stint on the injured list. Despite that missed time, he still managed a stolen base as a pinch runner Wednesday.

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.