MLB Player News
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Matt Carpenter DH | STL
Cardinals' Matt Carpenter: Receives breather Saturday
Carpenter is not in the lineup against Cincinnati on Saturday, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.
Carpenter will take a seat for the first time this season while Yairo Munoz draws a start at third base. Through 14 games thus far, Carpenter is hitting .174/.355/.348 with two home runs and seven RBI. Expect to see him back in the starting nine for Sunday's series finale.
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Daniel Vogelbach DH | TOR
Mariners' Daniel Vogelbach: Clubs first homer Friday
Vogelbach went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in Friday's 7-4 win over the A's.
His first home run of the season comes just as Nelson Cruz (ankle) is ready to rejoin the lineup, pushing Vogelbach out of the DH spot. The 25-year-old will see time at first base for now, but his .222/.300/.370 slash line and 1:11 BB:K in 30 plate appearances won't keep him in the regular starting lineup once Ryon Healy (ankle) also gets healthy.
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Jesse Winker DH | NYM
Reds' Jesse Winker: Sidelined with shoulder soreness
Winker was scratched from Friday's tilt with the Cardinals due to right shoulder soreness, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
Winker's removal from the lineup did wind up being injury-related, though it's unclear when it was incurred. Consider him day-to-day for now until a better timetable for his return is revealed. Phillip Ervin is filling in for him in right field Friday.
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Jesse Winker DH | NYM
Reds' Jesse Winker: Scratched for undisclosed reason
Winker was scratched from Friday's contest against the Cardinals, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
No word has come forth as to whether or not an injury is in play, though information on that should come forth relatively soon. Phillip Ervin will take his spot in right field for the evening.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Bats seventh against Royals on Friday
Ohtani will move up to seventh in the batting order versus Kansas City on Friday, 610 Sports Radio - Kansas City reports.
Ohtani continues to impress at the plate, as he's now hitting 9-for-29 with one triple, three home runs and 11 RBI over six appearances as the club's designated hitter. It's expected that he will get the night off Saturday with his scheduled pitching start coming Sunday.
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Charlie Blackmon RF | COL
Rockies' Charlie Blackmon: Misses fourth straight game
Blackmon (quadriceps) is again not in the lineup Friday against the Nationals, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.
Blackmon has been out of the lineup for four straight games and five of the last six. He's been battling both back and quad tightness, and while there haven't been any reports that either issue is particularly serious, it wouldn't be surprising to see him end up on the disabled list after missing so many games. Ian Desmond will receive his second straight start in center field, with Ryan McMahon starting at first base.
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Michael Brantley LF | HOU
Indians' Michael Brantley: Not in Friday's lineup
Brantley is out of the lineup against Toronto on Friday.
Brantley will retreat to the bench after starting the past three days, going 4-for-10 with a double and two RBI during those contests. The 30-year-old will continue to receive scheduled off days every now and then in order to keep him fresh. In his place, Rajai Davis will get the nod in left field while batting ninth.
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Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Keeps rolling at plate
Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a three-run triple and a walk, helping the Angels to a 7-1 victory over the Royals on Thursday.
It's nothing short of unbelievable what the rookie phenom has been doing and whether or not he can continue to put up such elite numbers as both a hitter and on the mound has quickly become easily the most intriguing story in baseball. It's also hard to overstate what it would mean for his fantasy value should he continue to perform both roles so well while only taking up one roster spot. If there's anything diminishing that, it's that he's given off days on either side of his pitching starts, limiting his opportunity to log as many at-bats as a normal everyday player. He told reporters after the Angels' game on Wednesday, however, that he would like to play more as the season progresses, so if the coaching staff eventually obliges he could end up with even more chances to hit.
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Marcell Ozuna DH | PIT
Cardinals' Marcell Ozuna: Hits second home run of season
Ozuna went 1-for-6 with a solo home run against the Reds on Thursday.
Ozuna extended his hitting-streak to 11 games with his solo home run Thursday. Though he has largely failed to hit for power in that span -- he has only three extra-base hits during the 11 game stretch -- he has still provided counting stats, highlighted by seven RBI and four runs scored. As the weather heats up, his power should come back more consistently, but in the mean time, there is little to complain about based on his early season production.
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Brad Miller DH | SD
Rays' Brad Miller: Reevaluation coming Friday
Miller (groin) will be reevaluated Friday to determine when he can resume baseball activities, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Miller went on the 10-day disabled list last Sunday, the same day he suffered a groin strain against the Red Sox. Manager Kevin Cash is already on record as stating that he doesn't expect the infielder's DL stint to last beyond the minimum timeframe, and Friday's evaluation should shed further light on whether that prognosis is on track.