MLB Player News

Winker will sit against lefty Kyle Freeland and the Rockies on Saturday.

Winker hasn't started against a lefty since late May. Phillip Ervin will start in left field, as he's done against the previous six southpaws the Reds have faced.

Belt went 2-for-5 with a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 10-7 win over Milwaukee.

Belt continues to bat first in the order following the All-Star break. The veteran first baseman has been doing an extraordinary impression of a traditional leadoff hitter, slashing .361/.452/.471 with a stolen base and eight runs scored in nine games in that role. While unconventional (compared to his heart-of-the-order profile), Belt continues to be the Giants' top on-base man by a long shot, so he should stick atop the order for the foreseeable future.

Dickerson left Friday's game against the Brewers with back tightness and will be held out of Saturday's game, Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

He went 0-for-3 before exiting. Back issues have plagued Dickerson for several years, so the Giants won't take any chances, already ruling him out the night before Saturday's contest. Hopefully it is just a day-to-day issue. Mike Yastrzemski could get the start in left field in his place.

Pederson is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Red Sox.

Pederson will hit the bench against a lefty (Eduardo Rodriguez) as he nearly always does. He could remain there all weekend as the Red Sox will start three straight southpaws. Max Muncy starts at first base in his absence.

The Cardinals remain encouraged by the progress of Ozuna (fingers) and hope to activate him by the end of July, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

The outfielder hit the injured list June 29 after getting hurt on a pickoff attempt at first base, and reports on him have been encouraging since. Rogers notes Ozuna still has some inflammation in his fingers at this point of his recovery, but the all-important strength he'd lost is returning. "It is about regaining strength, but it's also about not putting it in a position to make it worse," president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. "I think that's probably the most important aspect to all of this."

Carpenter (back) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.

Carpenter has been on the shelf since July 2 due to a lower-back strain, though he benefitted from the All-Star break and will be ready to roll when his team resumes play Friday against Arizona. He put together an uncharacteristic .216/.325/.381 slash line through 77 games in the first half, so he'll look to turn things around following the break.

Vientos went 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI for Low-A Columbia on Sunday.

The 19-year-old seems to have turned a corner after a rough start to the campaign, slashing .367/.441/.567 over his last 16 games with two homers and 15 RBI as well as a solid 5:11 BB:K. Vientos still has a world of upside and power potential as he fills out, and while he now has some company at the hot corner in the Mets' pipeline after the club drafted Brett Baty with the 12th overall pick this year, his bat should play anywhere if he develops as expected.

Pederson is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Pederson received the start Saturday and went 0-for-4, and he'll return to the bench Sunday with lefty Joey Lucchesi on the mound for the Friars. Pederson has scuffled since the start of June with a .190/.270/.310 slash line and three home runs in 30 games. Max Muncy will start at first base while Enrique Hernandez takes over at the keystone.

Carpenter (back) resumed baseball activities Saturday in St. Louis, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Carpenter's regimen Saturday included hitting, and manager Mike Shildt relayed that he received a positive update overall from his veteran infielder following the session. Carpenter had previously stated he expected to be ready to return to action when first eligible July 12, the Cardinals' first game following the All-Star break.

Reyes is not starting Saturday against the Dodgers.

Reyes had started 11 straight games, a stretch in which he'd hit .273/.319/.614 with five homers. Josh Naylor will get the nod in right field.