MLB Player News

Winker is not in the lineup for Friday's Opening Day game against the Tigers.

With southpaw Matthew Boyd starting for Detroit, the Reds will go with a heavily right-handed lineup, sitting both Winker and Shogo Akiyama, with righties Phillip Ervin and Matt Davidson starting at left field and designated hitter, respectively. Winker owns a career 137 wRC+ against righties compared to a 52 wRC+ against lefties, so expect him to continue to be platooned heavily this season.

Colon had his contract selected by the Reds on Friday and was added to the 30-man roster.

The 31-year-old was in camp as a non-roster invitee and was able to show enough for the team to justify creating room for him on the 40-man roster. Colon appeared in eight games for the Reds in 2019 and spent most of the season at Triple-A Louisville, where he had a .300/.372/.443 slash line in 136 games. He's unlikely to see significant playing time as a reserve infielder.

Torrens is not included on the Padres' Opening Day roster.

Torrens had been on the bubble for a roster spot throughout spring training and summer camp, but San Diego ultimately decided to carry only two catchers while Ty France serves as the emergency backstop. Though he is not on the active roster, Torrens will travel with the team during road trips as a member of the taxi squad, per Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The Giants selected Ruf's contract Thursday.

Ruf was one of six non-roster players the Giants bumped up the 40-man roster and 30-man Opening Day roster in advance of Thursday's opener versus the Dodgers. Back in North America after a three-year stint in the Korea Baseball Organization, Ruf will provide the Giants with some right-handed power off the bench. He could find himself in the lineup regularly versus southpaws, against whom he's posted a .299/.379/.542 career slash line (150 wRC+).

The Rockies activated Blackmon (not injury related) from the COVID-19 injured list Thursday.

Blackmon was late to summer camp while he completed his quarantine process in his home in Georgia following his positive test for COVID-19 in late June, but his inclusion on the Rockies' 30-man Opening Day roster implies the team is now comfortable with where he stands on the health front. The 34-year-old concluded summer camp by appearing in back-to-back games Tuesday and Wednesday and should be ready to handle an everyday role when the Rockies open the regular season Friday in Texas.

Blackmon (not injury related) is in the lineup for Wednesday's exhibition game against the Rangers, batting third.

Blackmon has been working his way back to full strength after testing positive for COVID-19 in late June and has been in a training program that should put him on track for Opening Day. The 34-year-old is in the lineup for the second consecutive exhibition game, signaling that he should be ready to return for Friday's season opener against the Rangers.

Miller (heel) was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with right ankle bursitis.

Miller missed much of camp while dealing with heel and ankle soreness. He was able to return to the field, but the team will bring him along slowly to work him back into shape before he appears in game action for the Cardinals this year. The 30-year-old is expected to play a depth role in St. Louis in 2020, so his absence shouldn't be too significant over the start of the regular season.

Miller (heel/ankle) is unlikely to be on the Cardinals' Opening Day roster, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Miller was unavailable for much of camp due to heel and ankle soreness. While he's been back on the field for a week, it doesn't appear as though he's had enough time to get up to speed by the start of the regular season, which begins Friday against the Pirates. It doesn't sound as if he'll be out for long and is slated to primarily be a utility option this season, so his brief absence shouldn't be a significant one for the Cardinals.

Cespedes will be the Mets' designated hitter on Opening Day, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.

The game will be Cespedes' first in over two years, as he's missed time first due to a pair of heel surgeries and then due to a fractured ankle. The delayed season bought him extra time to get healthy, and while he's been told by team trainers to run at just 80 percent, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, he's considered at least healthy enough to hit. Whether or not he plays much in the field this season remains to be seen, but he'll be quite a useful bat for the Mets if he's truly healthy, as he owns a career .274/.328/.498 slash line over seven big-league seasons.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Monday that Belt (heel) won't be ready for Opening Day, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Belt had been dealing with right heel pain throughout camp, and Kapler confirmed Monday that the 32-year-old will begin the season on the injured list as he continues to recover. While he'll miss the first several games of the regular season, it remains to be seen exactly how much time he'll miss as a result of the injury. With Belt and Evan Longoria (oblique) sidelined, Wilmer Flores and Pablo Sandoval (elbow) could see an uptick in playing time to begin the year.