MLB Player News

Brantley went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 6-2 loss to the Tigers.

Brantley, who launched his second homer of the season in the eighth inning, was one of the few offensive bright spots for the Astros, who were shut down for seven innings by promising young starter Casey Mize. Brantley has gone 3-for-17 in the four games since returning from a wrist injury.

Canha went 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, a steal and two runs scored in Monday's 9-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

Canha reached in each of his first two at-bats, as he doubled down the left-field line in the first and drew a walk in the third. Canha has gotten on at least twice in each of his last four games, slashing .375/.500/.625 with a home run, two RBI and six runs scored over that span. His stolen base Monday was a rarity, as his career high in steals was seven during his rookie year in 2015. Most of his fantasy value is derived from his power and above-average on-base ability.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in Monday's 3-0 win over the Giants.

Winker made his return to the lineup Monday after being held out the last two games following an early departure Friday with calf cramps. The 27-year-old launched a two-run homer to straightaway center in the third to get things rolling for the Reds. Winker has had a scorching start to the season, as he's 8-for-16 with two doubles, a home run, three RBI and five runs scored. The Reds have a bit of a crowded outfield with Winker, Tyler Naquin, Nick Senzel and Nick Castellanos all readily available, so it may be tough for Winker to find consistent playing time with all four outfielders hitting the ball well to begin the year.

Ohtani went 3-for-5 with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored in Monday's win over the Royals.

Ohtani's two-run double in the seventh inning had an exit velocity of 119 mph. As Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com notes, Ohtani is just the fifth player to reach 119 mph since Statcast was introduced in 2015. The other four: Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Nelson Cruz. A blister on Ohtani's right middle finger is keeping the two-way star off the mound in games, but Bollinger reports the Angels are hopeful Ohtani will be able to pitch by early next week.

Pederson went 0-for-2 with two walks and a run scored in Monday's loss to the Brewers.

Pederson is still batting just .129 this season but he has now reached base in six straight games. The outfielder likely won't supply a great batting average anyways, but it'd be nice if he started producing more counting stats, as he's tallied just one home run, two runs scored and four RBI in 10 games for his new team. The whole Chicago lineup has been struggling, which has limited Pederson's chances to do much damage.

Ohtani threw a light, 10-pitch bullpen session Monday without a bandage on his blistered finger, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The blister scratched Ohtani from his scheduled Sunday start against the Blue Jays. He hasn't been ruled out from starting sometime later this week, and the bullpen session does represent some amount of progress, but he's likely to need a longer session before returning to game action. He's been able to hit despite the blister and remains the starting designated hitter Monday against the Royals.

Belt isn't starting Monday's game against the Reds, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Belt will take a seat for the second time in the last four games with southpaw Wade Miley taking the mound for the Reds on Monday. Wilmer Flores will take over at first base, batting fifth.

Dickerson isn't starting Monday's game against the Reds, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Dickerson hit his second home run of the season in Sunday's series finale against Colorado, but he'll get a breather with lefty Wade Miley starting for Cincinnati on Monday. Darin Ruf will start in left field, batting third.

Cabrera doesn't have anything worse than a mild strain in his left bicep and may not need anything more than a minimum-length stay on the injured list, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Cabrera landed on the 10-day injured list Sunday and didn't initially have a clear timeline, but it appears as though he's avoided a particularly serious injury. He'll be eligible to return April 21 against the Pirates.

Winker (calf) will bat leadoff and start in left field Monday against the Giants.

Just as manager David Bell suggested would be the case a day earlier, Winker will rejoin the lineup for the series opener in San Francisco after a calf cramp prevented him from playing in the Reds' final two games of the weekend in Arizona. Prior to exiting Friday's contest, Winker had missed six days of action while recovering from an illness, so he'll be making just his fifth start of the season Monday. Tyler Naquin -- who has slugged five home runs and driven in 14 while serving as the primary replacement for Winker -- will take a seat Monday.