MLB Player News

Harper went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 2-0 win over the Orioles.

His third-inning shot down the left-field line gave Max Scherzer and Sean Doolittle all the offense they would need in the combined shutout. Harper now has 18 homers on the year including five in his last nine games, and his .297 batting average (11-for-37) over that stretch suggests he's beginning to shake out of his slump.

Martinez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Blue Jays.

Martinez crushed his 18th homer of the season -- a 434-foot no-doubter over the Green Monster -- to break a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning. The two runs knocked in put him atop MLB with 47 RBI. He's been a difference maker in the middle of Boston's lineup this season, the piece that was missing from last year's team that finished 27th in home runs.

The Reds' four-man outfield rotation has come to an end, with Winker moving to the bench on a regular basis, C.Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports. Winker entered Wednesday's play hitting .245/.354/.325.

Interim manager Jim Riggleman believes that the rotation has hurt the offensive performances off all four Reds outfielders, and emphasized some of the previous offensive contributions of Adam Duvall and Scott Schebler as a rationale for choosing to play them over Winker. Duvall has been suggested as a trade target, but to have any leverage to trade him, the Reds need to play him and see him produce, so in the long run that still may be a path for Winker to gain playing time. Also in defense of the decision, Winker's power has once again disappeared -- he has just one homer in 178 plate appearances this season.

Turner is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.

Turner will head to the bench for what appears to be a maintenance day after starting eight straight games. Breyvic Valera is starting at third base and hitting seventh in his stead. Turner is hitting just .255/.327/.383 through 13 games this season.

Buxton (toe) landed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Buxton fractured his left big toe in April but returned from the disabled list in mid-May. It has seemingly continued to be an issue for the 24-year-old outfielder, who will get his toe examined within the next few days. It's unclear at this point how long he'll be out of the starting lineup.

Miller isn't in Wednesday's lineup against the Athletics, Juan Toribio of The Athletic Tampa Bay reports.

Miller returned to the lineup Tuesday after recovering from a facial contusion, but he will head back to the bench with a lefty in Sean Manaea due up for Oakland. C.J. Cron will take over at first base and is slated to bat second.

Buxton isn't in Wednesday's starting lineup against Kansas City, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

It's unclear if Buxton is dealing with an injury, as Ryan LaMarre will take over in center field for the second consecutive game. If he is dealing with something, expect an update on his status prior to Thursday's series opener against Cleveland.

Cabrera (hamstring) appears likely to return from the 10-day disabled list during the Tigers' weekend series with the Blue Jays, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Cabrera, who limited himself to batting practice Tuesday after going through intense baserunning and agility drills a day earlier, said he was "very close" to a return to the lineup, with Tigers skipper Ron Gardenhire seemingly supporting the first baseman's sentiments. While Gardenhire suggested it was unlikely Cabrera would be available for the final two games of the Tigers' current series with the Angels, Cabrera looks like he'll be ready to go in a few days once he builds up his conditioning and gets back in game shape following a nearly month-long layoff due to the right hamstring strain. Once Cabrera is back in the fold, John Hicks will likely transition to a bench role and see most of his playing time as the backup catcher behind James McCann.

Ozuna was removed from the starting lineup prior to Wednesday's tilt against the Brewers due to a jammed finger, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

The injury appeared to occur during Tuesday's game on a play at second base. He was slated to start in left field and bat fourth, but Tyler O'Neill has since replaced the 27-year-old in the lineup. Ozuna will be available off the bench if needed, and he'll be considered day-to-day moving forward.

Carpenter went 1-for-3 with two RBI from a bases-loaded walk and a solo home run in a win over the Brewers on Tuesday, while also drawing a second free pass.

At one point earlier this month, Carpenter's season line stood at a dreadful .140/.286/.272. All three figures have seen massive boosts in recent weeks, with the 168-point increase in his slugging percentage (.272 to .440) being the most dramatic. Carpenter sports a blistering .404 average, .528 wOBA and 65.8 percent hard contact rate in the 58 plate appearances encompassing his last 13 games, a stretch during which he's racked up 13 extra-base hits (nine doubles, four home runs) and eight RBI.