MLB Player News

Winker (neck) will be activated from the 10-day injured list over the weekend, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Winker landed on the injured list at the end of May and has been on a rehab assignment since June 7. Despite having a rough season with the Brewers so far, Winker has been raking in the minors, slashing .350/.500/.800 over 26 plate appearances. Once activated he will presumably return as the Brewers' primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching.

Vientos is absent from the lineup for Friday's tilt versus the Cardinals.

Mark Canha is playing first base and Daniel Vogelbach is at designated hitter for the series opener against St. Louis. Vientos has just a .469 OPS in 16 games with the big club this season.

Vogelbach is starting at designated hitter and batting seventh on Friday against the Cardinals.

Vogelbach hasn't played for a week, as the Mets wanted to give him time to work on his swing. The 30-year-old will carry a .203/.343/.297 line into play Friday and will surely need to start producing at the plate if he wants to keep his roster spot.

Morel went 3-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and two RBI in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

Morel continues to roll along, as he now has hits in five straight games and a robust 1.016 OPS for the season. The 23-year-old's absurd home run pace has predictably slowed down, however. He has two long balls in his last 15 games after going deep nine times in his first 12 contests of the year.

Encarnacion-Strand started in right field for Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Encarnacion-Strand looks to be next in line among Cincinnati's prospects to be called up, though he's blocked at first base by Spencer Steer and potentially Joey Votto (shoulder). The Reds have comparatively struggled to get production from their corner outfield positions, as Stuart Fairchild has regularly started in left field of late while a combination of Will Benson and T.J. Hopkins have started in right. It's unclear if Encarnacion-Strand will prove trustworthy enough with the glove to stick in the outfield, but it's potentially one more path for him to reach the majors.

Martinez is not in the starting lineup Thursday against the White Sox.

Martinez has gone 0-for-12 with eight strikeouts and one walk over his last three games, though he still holds a shiny .894 OPS on the year. Jason Heyward is serving as the Dodgers' designated hitter Thursday and batting cleanup.

Meneses is out of the lineup Thursday against the Astros.

Meneses will grab some physical and mental rest after going 0-for-8 with three strikeouts in the first two games of the Nationals' three-game set in Houston. Corey Dickerson is taking a DH day Thursday with Stone Garrett covering left field.

Carpenter is out of the lineup Thursday versus the Guardians.

Nelson Cruz is filling the DH role for the Padres and batting sixth with left-hander Logan Allen on the bump for Cleveland. Gary Sanchez is also on the bench.

Vogelbach has not been used in a game since June 7 while working on his swing, Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News reports.

"I've been working on stuff that can hopefully lead to me getting the ball in the air like I like to get the ball in the air," Vogelbach said Wednesday before being held out of his sixth straight game. "Just being able to get in the cage and really dial into stuff that I can really go after and not have to worry about repeating it in the game the same night. I always use the term muscle memory and I always try to repeat swings so that you don't have to think about it and you just go back to doing what I do." The Mets could certainly use Vogelbach's power while Pete Alonso (wrist) is on the shelf, but so far this season the 30-year-old DH has only two homers and a woeful .297 SLG in 143 plate appearances. In Vogelbach's absence, the team has used the DH spot to give starters at other positions a partial rest. If the veteran slugger isn't able to fix the mechanical issues that have led to a career-high 51.9 percent groundball rate in 2023, he could get designated for assignment.

McCutchen went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's 10-6 loss to the Cubs.

McCutchen led the game off with a home run, his first in his last 13 starts. In that span, he's earned 14 free passes while striking out only 10 times, but that's resulted in just three RBI and six runs scored. McCutchen continues to serve as the Pirates' primary leadoff hitter, though he's split the role with Tucupita Marcano against righties.