MLB Player News

The Astros promoted Alvarez to Triple-A Fresno on Friday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez slashed .325/.389/.615 with 12 home runs in his first season at the Double-A level this year, which made for a short stay at Corpus Christi. The 21-year-old will likely join Fresno's outfield rotation for the rest of the season if he illustrates he can hold his own against superior competition.

Winker is not starting Friday against the Cubs, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Winker is hitting .458 with a 1.218 OPS over his last nine games, but the Reds' outfield rotation will continue, with Adam Duvall starting over him in left field. Winker has pretty much been as advertised this season, with excellent on-base skills but little power or speed, leading to a .277/.391/.403 line with six homers and no steals on the season.

Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored Thursday against the Giants.

Ozuna took advantage of several RBI opportunities, driving in runs on a groundout and single. He showed signs of breaking out of his slump, recording his first two-hit performance since June 26th and his first extra-base hit since the 25th. While he had been on a tear at the plate in the first half of June, Ozuna entered Thursday's game with just a .278 slugging percentage over the last 15 days, so his season of hot and cold spells has continued.

Carpenter went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, two walks and three runs scored Thursday against the Giants.

Carpenter took Johnny Cueto deep in the second inning for his 16th home run of the season. He now has at least one extra-base hit in three of his past four games and six of his last 10, helping him vault into the top 10 in the National League in OPS. While his power production stands out, Carpenter has also managed to raise his average to .264, his highest mark since April 2.

Ohtani is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mariners.

After making back-to-back starts following his activation from the DL on Tuesday, Ohtani will get a rest day for the series finale. He went 0-for-4 in his first game back before notching a pair of base hits in Wednesday's tilt. He figures to return to the DH spot during the Angels' weekend series against the Dodgers.

Carpenter went 3-for-4 with an RBI single, two doubles, a walk and a run in a win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday.

Carpenter turned in another one of his superior performances from the top of the order, generating his third multi-hit effort over the last nine games. The veteran infielder is hitting a scorching .469 (15-for-32) with six doubles, two home runs, four RBI, six walks and 10 runs over that span, a stretch that includes a 5-for-5 tally against the Indians on June 26. After seeing his average and slugging percentage dip as low as .199 and .370, respectively, as recently as May 23, Carpenter has boosted those figures to .263 and .509, a season-changing surge that shows no signs of abating.

Winker went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Wednesday's win over the White Sox.

Winker provided a game-tying, two-run single in the fourth inning and then later came around to score in the frame as Cincinnati went ahead to stay. The 24-year-old had a productive June, slashing .308/.432/.513 in the month, and is following that up with a strong start to July as well. In four games in the month, he's hitting .556 (5-for-9) with two doubles, two walks, three RBI and three runs scored.

Cespedes (hip) is set to resume baseball activities Thursday, Matt Ehalt of The Bergen Record reports.

Cespedes will move on to the next phase of his rehab after beginning a running progression Tuesday that consisted of the outfielder sprinting at about 75-percent speed for 60-yard bursts. He'll likely take batting practice, perform positional drills and do some baserunning over the next couple of days, with the Mets potentially mapping out a rehab assignment for him thereafter. The 32-year-old looks like he could be trending toward a return from the 10-day disabled list at some point shortly after the All-Star break.

Canha went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in a win over the Padres on Tuesday.

Canha's 398-foot shot to left in the sixth capped a five-run comeback for the Athletics. The outfielder has somewhat quietly coaxed his season average up 18 points to .256 over the last 12 games, a stretch during which he's slashed .333/.426/.718 with seven extra-base hits (three doubles, four home runs) and 11 RBI. Canha currently sports a career-best .256/.332/.478 line, and he's now just five home runs away from equaling the career-high 16 he slugged over 253 additional plate appearances in his rookie 2015 campaign.

Ohtani (elbow) went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against the Mariners on Tuesday in his first game back from the DL.

With lefty Wade LeBlanc on the mound for the Mariners, Ohtani was deployed as the Angels' No. 6 hitter Tuesday night. It's unclear if Ohtani will be able to pitch again this season, but he's scheduled to be evaluated again in the coming weeks. Without having to pitch in the near future, Ohtani's workload as the Angels' primary DH could increase from his usage in the first half of the season, but it remains to be seen if the elbow injury will have an impact on his output at the plate.