MLB Player News

Winker (side) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.

Winker's absence was fully expected after he was forced to exit Sunday's loss to the Rockies with an injury to the lower left side of his body. The Reds are planning to send him in for a more thorough examination Monday, which should provide more specificity regarding the injury along with a potential recovery timeline. For now, the team is viewing Winker's injury as a day-to-day concern.

Dickerson (back) is back in the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Rockies.

Dickerson left Friday's game with back tightness and did not appear in either game over the weekend. He'll play left field and bat cleanup in Monday afternoon's game, though there's a good chance the Giants sit him for the nightcap to avoid overtaxing his back.

Ozuna (fingers) is still dealing with swelling in his right hand after originally experiencing multiple finger fractures June 28, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The news had been better for Ozuna earlier in the week, as he appeared to be making steady progress in his recovery. However, the veteran outfielder has apparently hit a bit of a sticking point with his swelling, which is preventing him from testing his grip strength. Given that Ozuna will need to show he's capable of handling a bat without any encumbrance whatsoever before activation, his return timeline seems firmly up in the air at the moment. In fact, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Ozuna himself estimates he's at least "two to three weeks away."

Winker confirmed that his injury was to his lower left side or back, and that he'll be evaluated further Monday to determine whether he needs to go on the IL, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "My lower left back, side area tightened up," Winker said. "I was feeling some tightness in my right rib cage as well."

Winker hasn't had an injury of this nature before. Given that the Reds have no off days scheduled until July 24, they might be compelled to make a roster move if Winker needs to sit out more than a day or two.

Belt went 2-for-4 with a solo homer, two runs scored and a walk in Sunday's 8-3 win over Milwaukee.

Belt launched his first homer since June 27 but has already collected four multi-hit games in July. It was his 11th long ball of the season and he has a shot at reaching the 20-homer mark for the first time in his MLB career.

Winker left Sunday's game against the Rockies in the middle of an at-bat after appearing to suffer an oblique or ribcage injury.

Winker was taken out during a 2-2 count and replaced by Sonny Gray as a sacrificial lamb for the remainder of the at-bat. Jose Peraza, who had pinch hit earlier in the inning, took his place in the field.

Pederson is out of the lineup for Sunday night's game against the Red Sox, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Pederson finds himself on the bench for the third straight contest with David Price representing the third straight lefty taking the mound for the Red Sox. The 27-year-old has a .672 OPS with three doubles in his last 13 games.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Reds, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs Saturday to bust out of a four-game slump, but he'll take a seat for the series finale. Raimel Tapia, Ian Desmond and David Dahl will start in the outfield from left to right Sunday.

Dickerson (back) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game at Milwaukee, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Dickerson was removed from Friday's game with back tightness and will be out of the lineup for a second straight contest. The 29-year-old has battled significant back issues in the past, but manager Bruce Bochy believes the issue is minor and that he'll rejoin the starting nine Monday. According to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle, Dickerson is also available off the bench Sunday.

Carpenter, who was reinstated from the injured list last Thursday, is 2-for-9 with six strikeouts in the first two games following the All-Star break.

The nightmarish season continues for Carpenter, whose 25.7 percent strikeout rate is the highest of his major-league career. When factoring out his initial seven-game cup of coffee with the Cardinals back in 2011, all three components of Carpenter's current .216/.322/.376 line qualify as career worsts. Moreover, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that manager Mike Shildt will continue to rotate other hitters into the leadoff role that Carpenter often occupies (including Saturday), a spot where he's slashing only .208/.318/.365 over 299 plate appearances.