MLB Player News

Ozuna describes his current arm strength at "55 percent" following offseason right shoulder surgery but continues a therapeutic regimen designed to progressively increase it, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Ozuna is undergoing therapy, pregame exercises and work on his throwing mechanics daily with coach Willie McGee in an effort to get back to full capacity as soon as possible. Ozuna has tabbed accuracy as one of the areas he's still most lacking in, acknowledging that he's occasionally missing his target and "throwing wild." Despite his struggles at times this season, Langosch notes that a throw Ozuna made in Pittsburgh last week clocked in at 84.4 mph per Statcast, harder than any he'd made last year but still below some of the 90-plus mph lasers the veteran uncorked in Miami back in 2016. The good news for fantasy owners is that the results have been increasingly better on the offensive side of things -- Ozuna slugged the hardest-hit home run thus far this season in the first inning Monday, and both of his round trippers have come within the last four games.

Blackmon won't play Wednesday against the Braves with the contest being postponed due to inclement weather in Colorado, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Colorado and Atlanta will hold a make-up game Aug. 26. Blackmon and the Rockies will return to action Thursday in San Francisco for the club's series opener with the Giants.

Harper went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and a walk in Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Nationals.

Harper gave the Phillies a 4-1 lead during the third inning with the three-run shot, though the Nationals rallied late to steal the win. The 26-year-old owns a .333/.511/.788 slash line with four home runs, eight RBI and three doubles in 33 at-bats.

Winker went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, three RBI and two runs in a 14-0 victory against the Marlins on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old had just one hit in 26 at-bats prior to Tuesday, so this production was a sight for sore eyes. Winker has a long way to go to turn things around, but this was a step in the right direction. Winker is 3-for-29 (.103) with a homer, three RBI and two runs in 10 games this season.

Blackmon will head to the bench Tuesday against the Braves, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.

Blackmon will sit for the first time this season, with Yonathan Daza making his big-league debut in right field. The outfielder has had a decent start to the year, hitting .273 in 11 games.

Turner is back in the lineup, hitting second and playing third base for Tuesday's contest against the Cardinals, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Turner received a maintenance day Monday, but he'll slide back into the second spot in the order and man the hot corner Tuesday. The 34-year-old is hitting .293 with a .375 on-base percentage through 41 at-bats, although he is still looking to find his power stroke; Turner is slugging just .317 and is still looking for his first long ball.

Belt went 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored in Monday's 6-5 loss to San Diego.

Belt made his first start in left field this season, opening up first base for new acquisition Tyler Austin. The former is no stranger to moving to the outfield, logging 76 games at the position over his seven-year career. Austin is expected to eventually move to left, but Belt will occupy the position (at least against southpaws) in the interim. The 31-year-old is slashing .237/.310/.500 through 11 games.

Carpenter, who went 1-for-4 with a run in a win over the Dodgers on Monday, has hit safely in five straight games.

The veteran infielder has laced three of his four doubles on the season during that stretch as well, although he's hasn't posted a multi-hit effort since March 31. Carpenter's power has yet to emerge in the new season after he blasted a career-high 36 home runs last season, but he was a slow starter on that front in 2018 as well -- he only had two round trippers through the end of April before launching 34 from May through August.

Ozuna went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in the Cardinals' 4-3 win over the Dodgers on Monday.

Ozuna looks to be heating up at the dish after a slow start, as he mashed his second homer in four games with a first-inning two-run blast off Hyun-Jin Ryu. He's still hitting just .229 through 35 at-bats, but hopefully the recent show of power is a sign the veteran is ready for a hot streak that will pump his average back up toward his career mark of .277.

Reyes is not in the lineup Monday against the Giants, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Reyes is just 2-for-22 (.091) through 10 games this season, so he'll head to the bench for the second time in three games as Hunter Renfroe picks up another start in right field in his place.