MLB Player News

Cespedes (hip) took batting practice on the field prior to Thursday's matchup against Milwaukee, Tim Britton of The Athletic New York reports.

Cespedes took the next step in his recovery process by getting in some swings during batting practice -- this was the first time he's been able to participate in BP since hitting the disabled list May 13. His timetable for a return remains unclear, but it's good news that he was finally able to swing a bat.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's win over the Pirates.

The 24-year-old's shot to left-center field proved to be the difference in the Reds' 5-4 win. It was the first home run of the season for Winker after he hit seven homers in just 121 at-bats last year. There's probably more power to come, but Winker is not hitting for a high average nor is he playing everyday, making him tough to deploy in shallower mixed leagues.

Cespedes (hip) will accompany the Mets on their eight-game road trip beginning Thursday, but he still has no clear timetable for his return from the disabled list, Daniel Popper of The New York Daily News reports. "Obviously he's got to run and all those things before he gets active," manager Mickey Callaway said Wednesday. "But yeah, I think the next step is to get outside, take some BP, make sure he's comfortable continuing to swing, and then we'll get him on the bases and test that out next."

The 32-year-old has been out since May 13, and while it's encouraging that he's traveling with the team, this is just a case of the training staff wanting to monitor his progress rather than his return to action being imminent. Expect Cespedes' timetable to become clearer once he's able to run and swing a bat without issues.

Ozuna overslept and did not report to the ballpark on time, which is why he was a late scratch from Wednesday's lineup against the Royals, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

It sounds like it was a one-game benching, and the Cardinals and Ozuna will put the issue behind them heading into this weekend's series in Pittsburgh. Tyler O'Neill got the start in left field and went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and a run. Ozuna is hitting .253/.295/.331 with three home runs and three steals in 190 plate appearances.

Choi was optioned to Triple-A Colorado Springs after Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

With Ryan Braun (back) getting activated from the disabled list, the Brewers no longer needed Choi to serve as the backup first baseman. He is 4-for-15 with one home run and seven strikeouts in his brief work in the majors this season.

Reyes is not starting Wednesday in Washington.

Reyes will sit after starting six straight games. Travis Jankowski gets the start in right. After a very impressive power output at the Triple-A level, Reyes has so far struggled to translate his success to the big leagues. He has just five hits in 24 at-bats, striking out 36 percent of the time.

Ozuna is not in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.

Ozuna was originally listed as a part of the starting lineup, but he turned out to be a late scratch. It's unclear if he's dealing with an injury, but more news about Ozuna's status should be released in the near future. Tyler O'Neill will draw the start in left field and hit fourth in his stead.

Ozuna went 3-for-4 with a stolen base in a loss to the Royals on Tuesday.

A day off Sunday appears to have agreed with Ozuna, who's now 5-for-7 with an RBI, a walk, Tuesday's steal and two runs in the subsequent pair of games. The mini-surge has quickly bumped his season average up 19 points to .253, which nevertheless still lags considerably behind his solid career .275 figure. However, modest as a two-game sample is, it could serve as the impetus for the type of hot stretch at the plate that Ozuna has certainly proven capable of previously in his career.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Tuesday against the Padres.

Harper took left-hander Eric Lauer deep in the fifth inning for his 15th home run of the season. He has now recorded a home run in consecutive games, marking the fifth time he has accomplished that this season. It's notable that his home run Tuesday came against a left-hander, as he had just a .321 slugging percentage across 53 at-bats when he did not have the platoon advantage entering the game.

McCutchen (knee) is back in the lineup Tuesday against the Astros.

McCutchen bruised his knee Saturday against the Rockies and was forced to leave the game. He missed Sunday's contest but is back in action Tuesday after the team's day off Monday. He'll bat second and play right field.