MLB Player News

Winker was scratched from Friday's lineup versus Houston due to right shoulder soreness, Corey Brock of The Athletic reports.

The specifics of the injury remain unclear, but Winker has dealt with injuries to the same shoulder in the past, including a 73-game absence in 2018. The 28-year-old should be considered day-to-day until more information is available on the injury.

Miller is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the A's.

Miller has started against only one left-handed pitcher all season, and he'll unsurprisingly take a seat Friday with southpaw Cole Irvin on the mound for Oakland. Eli White will start in left field in his place.

Ohtani (back) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Ohtani was removed from Thursday's game against Toronto due to back stiffness and will be held out of the starting nine for at least one contest. According to Bollinger, it's not believed to be a serious injury, and the two-way star is available to pinch hit and is expected to make his next start on the mound. Taylor Ward, who has sat out the past five games with a shoulder issue, will bat leadoff as the designated hitter Friday.

Winker was scratched from Friday's lineup against the Astros for unspecified reasons.

The 28-year-old was penciled in to start in left field and bat leadoff Friday, but he's now absent from Seattle's lineup. It's unclear if Winker is dealing with an injury, but the team should update his status in the near future. Adam Frazier is moving out to left field while Sam Haggerty starts at second base.

Buxton isn't starting Friday against the Royals, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Buxton has gone just 1-for-18 with five strikeouts over the last four games, and he'll get a breather Friday as the Twins continue to give him sporadic days off to preserve his long-term health. Nick Gordon will start in center field and bat eighth.

Carpenter went 0-for-2 with a walk and two runs in Thursday's 7-2 win over the Rays.

Carpenter signed with New York on Thursday and made his team debut as a designated hitter batting out of the No. 8 slot. Though he didn't collect any hits, the veteran reached base twice (via a walk and a hit-by-pitch) and came around to score on each occasion. Carpenter isn't expected to be an everyday player for the Yankees, but he could see a fair amount of playing time in the short term with a number of New York's regulars currently out of action.

Martinez went 3-for-5 with a walk and three runs scored in Thursday's 16-7 win over the White Sox.

There were many hitting stars in the game, overshadowing Martinez, but the Red Sox's designated hitter is ridiculously hot right now. Through 22 games in May, he's slashing .443/.485/.670 with four home runs, 13 RBI and 20 runs scored. It helps that the rest of lineup around him is also producing, so there are no easy spots at the top of the order. Martinez wakes up Friday as the MLB leader in batting average (.380) and is third with a 197 wRC+, behind only Mike Trout and Aaron Judge.

Ohtani exited Thursday's game against the Blue Jays due to back stiffness, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Ohtani was yanked in the eighth inning as Taylor Ward (shoulder) hit in his place. After the game, manager Joe Maddon suggested the injury wasn't serious and noted Ohtani could be in the lineup Friday.

Cabrera went 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI in Thursday's win over the Guardians.

All three hits were singles, which has become the norm for Cabrera. The veteran has six doubles and three home runs this season, but the rest of his 42 hits have only gotten him to first base. Still, he's now batting an even .300 with a .753 OPS, so there's definitely some fantasy value there. Fantasy managers just shouldn't expect Cabrera to be the dominant slugger he was earlier in his career.

Carpenter was added to the lineup for Thursday's game against the Rays.

The 36-year-old joined the Yankees on a major-league deal Thursday, and he'll make his team debut as the designated hitter against the Rays after Aaron Hicks (hamstring) was scratched from the lineup. Carpenter has appeared in 21 games at Triple-A Round Rock this year and has hit .275 with six homers, 19 RBI, 15 runs and a steal.