MLB Player News

Morel is starting at second base and batting leadoff Friday night against the Twins.

The versatile 23-year-old has a prime opportunity to carve out more of a regular role with the Cubs as Nico Hoerner recovers from a left hamstring strain. Morel has gone 4-for-8 with a homer and a double in two games since being recalled Monday from Triple-A Iowa, where he was slashing .330/.425/.730 with 11 home runs, 31 RBI, four stolen bases and 31 runs scored through 29 games.

Winker is not in the lineup Friday against the Royals.

Luke Voit will serve as the designated hitter and bat sixth with left-hander Josh Taylor getting deployed as the opener for Kansas City. William Contreras moves up to the No. 2 spot in the Brewers' batting order for Friday's series opener.

Ozuna is on the bench again for Atlanta's game in Toronto on Friday, Grant McAuley of 929 The Game reports.

Ozuna started the first game after Travis d'Arnaud returned but has now been benched each of the last two contests. The 32-year-old Ozuna had started seven in a row and has been on a power binge of late, but it's clear d'Arnaud's return is going to eat into his playing time.

Martinez was activated from the 10-day injured list by the Dodgers on Thursday.

Martinez will skip a rehab assignment and slide right back into the Dodgers' lineup for Friday's series opener against the Padres. The veteran designated hitter missed the last two-and-a-half weeks of action with lower-back tightness.

Pederson is not in the lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Wilmer Flores will serve as the Giants' designated hitter and bat second with left-hander Tommy Henry on the mound for Arizona. Mitch Haniger, Bryce Johnson and Michael Conforto are starting across the outfield.

Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a loss to Houston on Wednesday.

Ohtani connected on a two-run shot off Astros closer Ryan Pressly in the ninth inning to bring the Angels to within a run, but the team was unable to complete the comeback. The long ball was the first so far in May for the two-way star, though he's otherwise performed well with a .290 average, three doubles and six RBI this month. Ohtani is up to eight homers on the campaign, tied for second on the Angels behind Hunter Renfroe (10).

Reyes elected free agency Thursday.

Reyes was designated for assignment Monday and will now look for another opportunity elsewhere after a disappointing tenure with the Royals. Over 19 games with Kansas City, he batted .186 with two homers, seven RBI and five runs scored while striking out 24 times over 59 at-bats. After a hot start to his major-league career in 2018, Reyes has struggled to find any groove over the last couple seasons.

Carpenter is not in the Padres' lineup Thursday in Minnesota.

The Twins are starting right-hander Bailey Ober, but Carpenter will take a seat as Manny Machado serves as the designated hitter and Ha-Seong Kim plays third base. Rougned Odor will get a shot at the keystone.

Morel went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBI in Wednesday's 10-4 win over the Cardinals.

Starting for the second straight night, Morel once again collected two hits and put together a nice box score. It's too early to tell exactly what his role will be, but the 23-year-old has talent and showed plenty of potential as a rookie last year. He's worth keeping an eye on in fantasy leagues.

McCutchen went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to Colorado.

McCutchen extended Pittsburgh's lead to 3-0 in the third inning with a two-run shot off Antonio Senzatela, his seventh home run of the year. Following a 1-for-19 stretch, the 36-year-old McCutchen has gone 4-for-6 with three RBI in his last two contests. He's slashing .255/.366/.491 with 18 RBI and 17 runs scored through 134 plate appearances this season.