Rice went 1-for-4 with two walks, a stolen base and a run scored in Friday's 9-4 win over the Pirates.

Rice has hit safely in five of seven games to begin the season, and he's recorded a steal in each of the last two contests. The 26-year-old was caught on his only attempt at swiping a bag in 2024, but he's apparently making an effort to get more involved on the basepaths this season, especially when he's hitting leadoff as he has over the last two games. He's batting .350 with two home runs, two doubles, two RBI and seven runs scored over 25 plate appearances so far this season.

Steer is hitting second and serving as the designated hitter Friday against the Brewers.

Steer was originally out of the lineup, but Matt McLain (hamstring) was scratched roughly an hour before first pitch. After the Reds reconfigured the order, Steer is now set to occupy a prominent spot in the lineup, and he'll look to get on track after beginning the season with only one hit across 18 at-bats.

Steer isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Brewers.

After a 1-for-18 start to the season, Steer will get a chance to rest and collect himself during a day off Friday. Meanwhile, Jeimer Candelario will serve as the Reds' designated hitter while Santiago Espinal starts at the hot corner.

Sheets is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Cubs, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Southpaw Shota Imanaga is taking the mound for Chicago, so it's not a surprise that Sheets finds himself on the bench. He has a 1.196 OPS through 19 plate appearances, all but one of which have come against right-handed pitching. Yuli Gurriel will bat sixth as the designated hitter, as the pair continue to platoon at the position.

Bryant is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Athletics.

It's the second straight day on the bench for Bryant, who is just 1-for-14 with six strikeouts in the early going this season. Hunter Goodman is in the designated hitter spot Friday and Jacob Stallings is doing the catching.

Winker is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.

It's right-hander Kevin Gausman on the hill for Toronto, but the left-handed hitting Winker will yield to righty Starling Marte at designated hitter. Winker is off to a 2-for-13 start at the plate this season for the Mets.

Schwarber went 1-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Rockies.

Schwarber extended the Phillies' lead to 2-0 in the seventh inning with a 444-foot moonshot off left-hander Luis Peralta, his fourth homer already this year. Schwarber has hit safely in six straight games to start the season, going 8-for-26 (.308) with eight RBI, seven runs scored and a 1.165 OPS.

Ohtani (elbow) threw a bullpen session Wednesday and is scheduled for another Saturday, but there's not yet a projected date for him to face live hitters, Cody Snavely of DodgersBeat reports.

Ohtani resumed tossing bullpens last Saturday when he threw 25 pitches (all fastballs) in his first session off a mound since Feb. 25. The two-way star then threw a "light" session Wednesday, and he's scheduled for a "heavier" bullpen Saturday, according to manager Dave Roberts. However, there remains no definitive timeframe for when Ohtani will begin throwing to hitters, and the organization appears intent to practice patience in the Japanese hurler's ramp-up. Roberts said in late March that he is hoping to get at least 18-to-20 starts from Ohtani this season, per Valentina Martinez of SI.com, which would likely require him to begin pitching in games by mid-May.

Heineman went 2-for-4 in Wednesday's win over the Nationals, and he's batting .429 (3-for-7) with a solo home run to begin the season.

The switch hitter's contributions weren't limited to his bat -- Heineman rang up the final out of the game by throwing out Jacob Young on an attempted steal of second base in the ninth inning. While two games is hardly enough of a sample to suggest the 33-year-old with the .589 career OPS in 306 big-league plate appearances is headed for a breakout, Heineman is at least on his way to earning more playing time with his play. Starting catcher Alejandro Kirk has never been behind the plate for more than 99 games in a season, so if Heineman keeps finding ways to make an impact, he could become a useful second catcher in AL-only formats.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Yoshida (shoulder) is throwing out to 110 feet but will not be ready for a rehab assignment next week, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

Yoshida landed on the 10-day injured list prior to Opening Day while he continues his recovery from right shoulder surgery, and he also dealt with a more recent back issue. The back problem has cleared up, but Yoshida remains limited to playing catch and Cora noted the 31-year-old will have to show he can make throws from the outfield before he's cleared for games. It's uncertain when that might happen, but Yoshida's return is not imminent.