MLB Player News

Winker went 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, two RBI and a stolen base in Monday's win over the Marlins.

The 30-year-old had a busy day despite his lack of success with the bat, drawing a bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning, then reaching base on a fielder's choice and stealing a bag in the seventh. Winker's reached base safely in 17 of the last 19 games, slashing .278/.369/.472 over that stretch with all three of his homers and all three of his stolen bases on the season along with 13 runs and 13 RBI. With Lane Thomas (knee) and Joey Gallo (shoulder) sidelined, Winker's become the everyday starter in left field, while Eddie Rosario and Alex Call platoon in right.

Senga (shoulder) reached the mid-90s with his fastball during Monday's bullpen against live hitters and used all of his pitches in the session, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets have been very deliberate so far with Senga's recovery from a shoulder capsule strain, but the organization's patience seems to be paying off. While the right-hander feels he will be back in the big-league rotation right around when he's first eligible to come off the IL on May 27, general manager David Stearns wouldn't sign off on that timeline, indicating Monday that he couldn't say whether Senga would be back in late May or early June. The 31-year-old is set to face live hitters two more times before beginning a rehab assignment around May 11.

Sanchez was benched in favor of Dane Myers during the third inning of Monday's loss to the Nationals, Christina DeNicola of MLB.com reports.

The 26-year-old got the start in right field but misjudged a looping single into the gap by Alex Call, backpedaling to take the hop and then turning to joke with center fielder Jazz Chisholm about it. The lapse in attention not only allowed Call to stretch his hit into a double, it led to a thumb injury for shortstop Tim Anderson as he tried to apply the tag at second base. Manager Skip Schumaker then pinch hit for Sanchez in the bottom of the frame as part of a double switch, with Vidal Brujan taking over for Anderson. "I have literally no rules except for giving me everything you have," Schumaker said after the game. "He lost the ball in the lights. I've lost the ball in the lights many times. After that, I felt like the effort wasn't there, and so I decided to remove him from the game." The gaffe doesn't seem like it will impact Sanchez's role or workload, and the message from his manager seemed to have been received. "It was just the matter of I disrespected all my teammates," Sanchez said. "That's one of the things that actually I was not feeling well [about], because it's a terrible feeling. And I know that I'm an important piece of the team that I could help, and I took myself out of the game." Sanchez is slashing .239/.282/.328 through 24 games with two homers and a career-high four steals.

Smith-Shawver topped 99 mph with three fastballs during his last start for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.

The 21-year-old right-hander is still learning the nuances of pitching after mostly playing quarterback in high school, so it's not surprisingly that Smith-Shawver is unlocking more velocity. He struck out a season-high seven batters in five innings for Gwinnett on Wednesday, and while Atlanta is limiting his workload by only having him pitch once a week rather than on a regular five-day schedule, he still figures to be an option for the big-league rotation at some point in 2024. After a couple shaky outings to begin the year at Triple-A, he's given up four runs with a 10:4 K:BB over his last 9.2 innings.

The Rockies returned Toglia to Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday.

Toglia was up as the 27th man for the Rockies' two-game series over the weekend in Mexico City versus the Astros but didn't see any action. He's slashed just .106/.143/.362 across 49 big-league plate appearances this season.

Candelario started at first base and went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Monday's 5-2 win over the Padres.

Candelario filled in at first base for Christian Encarnacion-Strand (hand), who was available off the bench. His second-inning double put an end to an 0-for-19 skid, and he eventually scored on a balk. The slumping corner infielder has spent just two days this season with average of .200 or better.

Stephenson (hand) was available off the bench for Monday's 5-2 win over San Diego, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Stephenson, who was hit by a pitch on his right hand Saturday, sat out a second straight game. Luke Maile has operated behind the plate in place of Stephenson.

Encarnacion-Strand (hand) was available off the bench for Monday's 5-2 win over the Padres, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Encarnacion-Strand, who sat out a second consecutive game, underwent a precautionary MRI on Monday. The results of the imaging were not yet known at game time, but manager David Bell considered the first baseman available if needed.

Grichuk went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Monday's 8-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Grichuk, starting for the first time in five games, delivered the Diamondbacks' final run with a sacrifice fly as part of a three-run fifth inning. Arizona faced a string of right-handers the last week, forcing the righty-hitting outfielder to the bench.

Suarez went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Monday's 8-4 loss to the Dodgers.

Suarez was involved in Arizona's three-run fifth inning, plating a run with a single. His bat has slumbered to start the season (.229 average, .634 OPS), but the third baseman has managed to deliver with runners on base. Suarez is third on the club with 18 RBI, fueled by a .414 average with runners in scoring position.