MLB Player News

Winker (illness) will start in left field and bat sixth in Thursday's game versus the Pirates.

Winker has dealt with an illness this week but is feeling well enough to play Thursday. It's a bit of a surprise he's in the lineup at all since the Pirates are starting lefty Martin Perez, and the left-handed hitting Winker has a career .657 OPS versus southpaws.

Kelenic is 6-for-11 (.545) with a double, two RBI, two runs scored and a 2:2 BB:K to begin the season.

The 24-year-old has yet to get a plate appearance against a left-handed pitcher while platooning with Adam Duvall in left field for Atlanta, but Kelenic has been ripping the cover off the ball against righties. Hitting coach Kevin Seitzer credited the hot start to mechanical adjustments Kelenic made with his swing in training camp, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports. "We quieted down all the hand movement," Seitzer said this week. "Then the last adjustment was him saying, 'I just want to bang the leg kick.' He goes, 'I'm trying to do too much, swinging too hard, my timing is not good.' He goes, 'I've done this before where I've just kind of spread out and gone just a little no-stride.' Well, his spread-out, no-stride has equated into a real small leg kick, and it's helped his position on his takes." Kelenic's simpler swing has allowed him to see the ball better as well as get to it quicker when he pulls the trigger -- while the sample size is tiny, his 21.2 percent whiff rate so far in 2024 would be a career low, even though his 52.4 percent swing rate would be a career high. While his fantasy ceiling is limited by his platoon role and the fact that he's batting ninth in a stacked Atlanta lineup, the sixth overall pick in the 2018 Draft could still be headed for a long-awaited breakout.

Edman (wrist) said Thursday that while he got "generally good news" from his MRI on Wednesday, he remains shut down from most baseball activities, John Denton of MLB.com reports.

Edman will have another exam on his right wrist Monday, and he could be cleared to begin ramping back up next week if he receives a positive report. The 28-year-old is now six months removed from what was supposed to be a relatively minor surgery, but he has been unable to get over the hump in his recovery.

Floyd is on the 60-day injured list with the Reds' Arizona Complex League affiliate due to elbow discomfort, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com reports.

Floyd is expected to get on the mound this year, per Mayo, but the Reds wanted to give him time to fully heal and build back up in Arizona before competitive action. This is still a pretty scary injury designation for a pitcher who hasn't debuted since the Reds selected him out of LSU with the 38th pick in last year's draft.

The Nationals recalled Young from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday.

As expected, Young will join the Nationals' 26-man active roster as a replacement for Victor Robles, who was placed on the 10-day injured list after straining his left hamstring in Wednesday's win over the Pirates. Young will likely fill Robles' role as the Nationals' starting center fielder against left-handed pitching.

Contreras is dealing with lingering swelling in his left hand but has yet to undergo imaging ahead of Thursday's game against the Marlins, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Contreras stayed in the game in Wednesday after being hit by a pitch in the sixth inning, drawing a walk in his final plate appearance in the eighth. His hand remains swollen, however, and there would seem to be a good chance he'll be held out of the lineup for Thursday's home opener. If Contreras unable to go, Ivan Herrera would do the catching for the Cardinals.

The Nationals placed Victor Robles (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.

After getting sent in for an MRI earlier Thursday, Robles was confirmed to have suffered a left hamstring strain while running the bases in Wednesday's win over the Pirates. In a corresponding move, the Nationals recalled Jacob Young from Triple-A Rochester, and he'll likely be called upon to serve as a short-side platoon mate in center field for Eddie Rosario.

Gray (hamstring) threw 54 pitches over his three-inning simulated game Wednesday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Gray relayed Thursday that he felt good coming out of the sim game and feels ready to rejoin the big-league rotation, but the Cardinals' coaching and medical staffs likely prefer for him to make a rehab start at Triple-A Memphis or Double-A Springfield before clearing him for his St. Louis debut. According to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, Gray is scheduled to meet with the Cardinals' brain trust later Thursday before a determination is made on his next step. Assuming he heads to an affiliate for a start early next week, Gray would likely be capped around 70-to-75 pitches.

The Nationals will recall Young from Triple-A Rochester prior to Thursday's game versus the Pirates, Grant Paulsen of MLB Network Radio reports.

Victor Robles (hamstring) is headed to the injured list, and Young will be his replacement. Young is a candidate to slide right into Robles' vacated role as the right-handed option of a platoon in center field with Eddie Rosario. The 24-year-old stole 13 bases without being caught in 33 games with the Nationals in 2023, but he might not play enough to help out fantasy managers in the steals category in the immediate future.

Robles (hamstring) will be placed on the injured list prior to Thursday's game against the Pirates, Grant Paulsen of MLB Network Radio reports.

Robles tweaked his left hamstring during Wednesday's game against Pittsburgh. While the results of his MRI are not yet in, it would appear the injury is serious enough to sideline the outfielder for at least the next week and a half. Jacob Young will replace Robles on the Nationals' roster.