MLB Player News

Winker was removed from the first game of Thursday's doubleheader versus the Orioles in the fourth inning due to back tightness.

Winker popped out in his lone plate appearance before being removed for pinch hitter Mark Vientos in the fourth. The 31-year-old had returned to action for the Mets on Tuesday following a lengthy stay on the injured list due to an oblique strain, but it's not clear whether the back issue might be related. The Mets could offer more information on Winker later Thursday.

Ozuna went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's rout of the A's.

His sixth-inning blast to right-center field off Mitch Spence was the fifth of five Atlanta long balls against the right-hander in a 9-2 win. Ozuna snapped a 21-game homer drought in the process, a stretch in which the 34-year-old slugger slashed just .182/.281/.234 with six RBI. Ozuna has had a rough first half of the season, and there are signs he could be nearing the end of the road on his career -- his 73.6 mph bat speed is down significantly from the 75.0 mph he recorded in 2023, and his 112.1 mph max exit velocity would be a career low -- but he still boasts an 83rd percentile hard-hit rate and 76th percentile AEV, so there's still some juice left in his bat. A second-half rebound can't be ruled out.

Yoshida started at designated hitter and went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the Rockies.

Yoshida made his season debut after missing the first 93 games while recovering from a shoulder injury. His rehab stint was relatively brief for having sat out such a long time -- five games, 17 plate appearances -- but Yoshida was ready for the majors. Boston's outfield was already a logjam with four players for three spots, but they had the DH spot to accommodate the at-bats for all four. Yoshida's return complicates matters.

Sheets went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday in a loss to the Diamondbacks.

San Diego managed just four hits in the loss, and Sheets' seventh-inning, 437-foot solo homer was the only ball to leave the park. It was the just the second home run over the past 23 games for the veteran slugger, though he's had a strong first half overall. Sheets has a .771 OPS through 89 contests, and with 14 homers he's just one shy of the career-high mark of 15 he set in 2022 while with the White Sox.

Soler went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in an 11-8 victory versus Texas on Wednesday.

Soler was hitless in his first three plate appearances, but he came through when it mattered most, launching a 421-foot, two-run blast to break an 8-8 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was a much-needed big hit for the veteran outfielder, who entered Wednesday having batted just .136 with only six RBI over his previous 22 games. Soler posted a poor 37.8 percent strikeout rate during that span, and Wednesday marked just the second time over his past 15 contests that he's finished without a punchout.

Trout went 2-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in an 11-8 win over Texas on Wednesday.

Trout belted both of his long balls against Rangers starter Kumar Rocker, swatting a two-run shot in the third inning and a solo blast in the fifth. It was the third time this season Trout has notched multiple home runs in one game, and he's up to 16 homers on the campaign. Wednesday also marked Trout's first multi-hit game since June 19 -- he had been mired in an 11-for-53 (.208 batting average) stretch over his previous 17 contests.

Gasper (foot) was reinstated from Triple-A St. Paul's 7-day injured list Tuesday and went 1-for-4 in his return to the lineup.

Gasper served as St. Paul's designated hitter in his return to the lineup after he had missed about two and a half weeks while recovering from plantar fasciitis. The 29-year-old utility player owns a .316/.418/.600 slash line with 10 home runs and two steals in 41 games at the Triple-A level this season.

Rice is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Over his last eight games, Rice has gone just 4-for-27 with a .324 on-base percentage, and his lack of recent production is beginning to cost him some playing time. For the fourth time in five matchups with a right-handed starting pitcher (Logan Evans), the left-handed-hitting Rice will head to the bench while the Yankees go with Paul Goldschmidt at first base and Giancarlo Stanton at designated hitter.

The Red Sox activated Yoshida (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Yoshida is finally ready to make his season debut for the Red Sox after a long recovery from offseason surgery on his right shoulder. The 31-year-old will start at designated hitter and will bat sixth in Wednesday's game versus righty Antonio Senzatela and the Rockies. Yoshida might have to get off to a good start if he wants to see regular playing time, as the Red Sox have lots of mouths to feed between the outfield and DH.

Manager Dave Roberts said this week that Ohtani will serve as the Dodgers' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Giants and will be followed by right-hander Emmet Sheehan in bulk relief, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

After covering one inning in both of his first two starts as a pitcher, Ohtani has worked two frames in both of his subsequent outings. Roberts didn't go into specifics regarding what Ohtani's workload will look like Saturday, but if the current trend holds, the right-hander could be in line for a three-inning start. Until the Dodgers are willing to let Ohtani work five innings, he won't be able to qualify for wins in his starts, so the bulk of the two-way superstar's fantasy value looks as though it will come from his production as a hitter for the foreseeable future.