MLB Player News

Winker (ribs) hit on the field Friday and could go on a rehab assignment soon if his body recovers well from the activity, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

An intercostal strain has kept Winker out for nearly a month. Reports from last Friday indicated that the outfielder was about a week from beginning a rehab assignment, and he still appears to be on that same timeline.

Ozuna (finger) was placed on administrative leave under the league's domestic violence policy Friday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The transaction stems from Ozuna's late-May arrest for aggravated assault and family violence. He hasn't played since that incident but wasn't actually on leave, as he was instead on the injured list after fracturing a pair of fingers just days before his arrest. The status of those injuries isn't clear, but he's unlikely to play any time soon due to the administrative leave. He's technically only on leave for seven days, but players in similar situations have nearly always seen that leave extended several times while the league continues its investigation. Ozuna agreed to enter a diversion program Thursday which could see his charges dropped within six months, but MLB can still come to its own conclusions regarding any potential suspension regardless of the court's decision.

Pederson will sit against lefty Trevor Rogers and the Marlins on Friday.

Pederson has now been on the bench against the last three lefties Atlanta has faced. Guillermo Heredia takes over in center field.

Dickerson (hamstring) is beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Having only been on the injured list since last Saturday, Dickerson doesn't figure to require more than a couple games of rehab before rejoining the Giants. The outfielder has struggled in recent weeks and may not have as substantial a role once healthy as he did before suffering his hamstring strain.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Rockies.

Harper's first-inning homer off Antonio Senzatela was his 30th of the season -- he's now reached the 30-homer mark four times in his career and in each of his last three full seasons. The outfielder has hit safely in 17 of his last 19 games and leads all qualified hitters in baseball with a 1.019 OPS.

Blackmon isn't starting Thursday's game against Philadelphia.

Blackmon drew starts in each of the last three games and went 3-for-13 with a triple, two RBI and a run. Yonathan Daza will bat seventh in his return to the lineup as the right fielder.

Ozuna (finger injuries) agreed Thursday to enter a diversion program which could see his domestic violence charges dropped within six months, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Ozuna is facing misdemeanor charges for family battery violence and simple assault after he was arrested back in late May. Both charges carry up to a year of jail time, but he can avoid jail if he completes the program's requirements, which include six months of supervision, 200 hours of community service, an anger management course and a psychological evaluation. While the development may assist MLB's decision regarding any potential suspension for Ozuna, the league is still doing its own investigation and could come to a different conclusion than the courts.

Harper went 1-for-1 with a solo home run, two RBI and three walks in the loss to the Brewers on Wednesday.

The right fielder took Freddy Peralta deep in the first inning before drawing a bases-loaded walk in the third, driving in teammate Travis Jankowski. The home run marked his 29th blast of the season. He has now secured at least one hit in 13 of his last 14 contests while batting .392 with six home runs and 16 RBI over that stretch.

Soler went 3-for-4 with a walk in Wednesday's loss to the Nationals.

The big right fielder strung together a trio of singles for his third three-hit performance since being acquired from Kansas City at the trade deadline. After a dreadful first four months with the Royals (.658 OPS), Soler has awakened to hit .287/.376/.535 with nine homers in 150 plate appearances for his new club, and he'll take a season-long six-game hitting streak (10-28) into Thursday's series finale against the Nationals.

Belt went 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored in Wednesday's 7-4 win over Colorado.

All three of Belt's hits were singles, but he scored on a sixth-inning Brandon Crawford home run and a ninth-inning Evan Longoria double. Through his last 12 games, Belt has recorded four multi-hit efforts while going 16-for-50 (.320) in that span. He's up to a .250/.353/.537 slash line with 21 homers, 43 RBI, 48 runs scored and three stolen bases through 312 plate appearances overall.