MLB Player News

Blackmon is batting third Friday against the Cubs, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Blackmon has acted as the Rockies' leadoff hitter for much of the past few seasons, but he was moved to the three-hole recently to fill in for the suspended Nolan Arenado. With Arenado returning to the lineup Friday, manager Bud Black apparently liked what he saw from "Chuck Nasty" in the third spot in the order and will keep him there for now. This could be the start of a more longstanding change, which could result in more RBI opportunities for Blackmon, though his number of runs scored could take a dip now that he's not atop the order.

Belt went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in the Giants' 3-1 defeat to the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

Belt was the only Giant to get to Zack Greinke with his second-inning solo blast representing his team's only run of the contest. After a relatively quiet start to the season, it was Belt's second straight game with a long ball and he's now got a solid .255/.361/.471 slash line this season.

Belt went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's extra-inning win over Arizona.

Belt came through in the clutch, taking Diamondbacks closer Brad Boxberger deep in the top of the 10th inning to give the Giants enough of a cushion to come away with the victory. The 30-year-old has been as advertised early on, providing excellent on-base skills (.368 on-base percentage) to go along with modest power (two homers in 47 at-bats).

Cespedes went 2-for-5 with a grand slam and a pair of runs scored in Wednesday's win over the Nationals.

The grand slam put the cap on a nine-run eighth inning, as the Mets turned a 4-2 deficit into an 11-5 win. The 32-year-old had been struggling mightily to open up the season, but he's now logged consecutive multi-hit games to help raise his average over the Mendoza Line. Strikeouts remain a bit of an issue, as he whiffed twice more Wednesday to bring his strikeout rate up to 38.7 percent, but this performance could be what he needed to finally start turning a corner.

Turner (wrist) has advanced to dry swinging, Eric Stephen of TrueBlueLA.com reports.

Turner continues to progress slowly but surely in his rehab program. He still hasn't hit actual pitches, but it seems like his wrist is reacting fine to the increased activity. The third baseman still seems to be a few weeks away from returning.

Carpenter went 2-for-4 with two strikeouts, a walk and three RBI in Tuesday's win over the Cubs.

Carpenter opened up the scoring with an RBI double in the third, and helped snap a 1-for-15 stretch in the process. The 32-year-old is still hovering below the Mendoza Line even after the multi-hit showing and struck out multiple times for the fourth time in five games, but the three-RBI performance may help spur a turnaround out of his early-season funk.

Winker (shoulder) is playing right field and hitting second Tuesday against the Brewers, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic Cincinnati reports.

Winker was absent from the starting lineup the past four days, but he did manage to pinch-hit in Monday's contest. He figures to operate as part of a four-man outfield rotation once Scott Schebler (elbow) is back in action.

Winker (shoulder) made a pinch-hit appearance against the Brewers on Monday, drawing a walk in the eighth inning.

Winker has now missed four consecutive starts with a sore right shoulder and his status for Tuesday is uncertain, but the Reds' willingness to use him off the bench suggests he is not in imminent danger of landing on the DL. The 24-year-old hasn't done much of note so far this season, but he is getting on base at a .413 clip, so he should continue to see starts atop the order against right-handed pitching.

Harper went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Monday's 8-6 win over the Mets.

While his bases-loaded single in the eighth inning was a more crucial blow in the contest, as it kick-started the Nats' six-run comeback, it's Harper's first-inning solo shot off Jacob deGrom that will be on repeat in highlight packages for a while. Despite being sawed off by an inside fastball that broke his bat at the handle, he still muscled the ball over the fence to right-center and trotted around the bases holding the stump. Harper now leads MLB with eight home runs while sporting an otherworldly .315/.487/.778 slash line.

Winker (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers.

It will be Winker's fourth straight game out of the lineup with shoulder soreness, though with the Reds facing a lefty in Brent Suter, there's a chance he would have sat regardless of his shoulder issue. Phillip Ervin will again start in right field.