MLB Player News

Winker is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Cardinals.

Winker typically takes a seat when the Reds face a southpaw, but Friday is the second straight contest in which he's out versus a right-hander (Adam Wainwright). The 25-year-old has a .943 OPS since the All-Star break, so it seems unlikely he's being bumped from the starting role. Phillip Ervin receives another start in left field in Winker's place.

Harper went 1-for-4 with a grand slam and a stolen base Thursday against the Cubs.

Harper provided a walkoff grand slam, taking Derek Holland deep for his 25th homer of the season. Harper has delivered six homers in his past eight games, also recording three multi-hit games in that span. He ended Thursday's contest with 87 RBI, putting him well on pace to surpass his previous career-best mark of 100 RBI. He's also hitting .253/.374/.490 across 532 plate appearances for the season.

Dickerson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Dickerson was reinstated from the injured list Wednesday, but he'll have to wait another day to make his return to the starting lineup as the Giants are stacking righties against southpaw Alex Young on Thursday. Austin Slater is starting in right field in this one.

Belt is starting at first base and hitting eighth Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Belt will drop to eighth in the order as the Diamondbacks stack right-handed bats at the top of their order against left-hander Alex Young. The first baseman is hitting just .194 against lefties this season, compared to .238 against right-handers.

Pederson is out of the lineup Thursday against the Marlins, Alanna Rizzo of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.

Pederson will unsurprisingly take a seat with the Marlins bringing lefty Caleb Smith to the bump for the series finale. Kris Negron will take over Pederson's usual spot in right field and bat sixth.

Ramirez is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Dodgers, Andre Fernandez of The Athletic reports.

The Marlins will give Curtis Granderson a spin in left field in the series finale, ending a stretch of four consecutive starts for Ramirez. The 24-year-old remains the Marlins' clear top option at the position, but his hot start following his May promotion from Triple-A New Orleans is a distant memory at this point. He's submitted a .210/.252/.400 slash line to go with four home runs, 16 RBI, 13 runs and no steals in 29 games since the All-Star break.

Winker is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

Winker's absence from the lineup registers as a surprise, given that the Reds are opposing a right-handed starter (Michael Wacha) in the series opener. Perhaps manager David Bell is just eager to take a look at Phillip Ervin, who has had a tough time finding at-bats lately with Aristides Aquino emerging as a regular in the outfield and josh VanMeter also jockeying for playing time in left field. Winker has been excellent since the All-Star break with a .943 OPS, but the production hasn't come with much in the way of fantasy-friendly counting stats. He's tallied three home runs, 12 RBI, 13 runs and no stolen bases in 32 second-half games.

Turner went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's win over Miami.

Turner kicked off the scoring with a 395-foot shot to center field in the first inning off Miami starter Elieser Hernandez. The suddenly red-hot third baseman has now notched four homers in his last three games, going 6-for-11 over that span. Turner was sitting on one home run through his first 34 games this season but has turned things around by hitting 20 in 78 games since.

Harper went 3-for-3 with a walk, two home runs and three RBI in Wednesday's 11-1 rout of the Cubs.

It's his second multi-homer performance in the last five games, and Harper now sports a .260/.383/.620 slash line in August with six home runs and 11 RBI in 13 games. The expectations that followed his massive contract have contributed to the 26-year-old seeming like a bit of a disappointment in his first season with the Phillies, but Harper is on pace for his second straight 30-homer, 100-RBI campaign.

Dickerson (oblique) was activated from the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Kerry Crowley of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Dickerson is back with the Giants after spending two weeks on the shelf with an oblique injury. The outfielder went 0-for-3 with a walk in his lone rehab appearance for Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday before being cleared to return. Pablo Sandoval (shoulder) was sent to the injured list to make room on the roster for Dickerson, who is sitting in favor of Austin Slater on Wednesday.