MLB Player News

Winker went 2-for-3 with a walk and a double in Sunday's loss to the Reds.

Facing the club he made his big-league debut with in 2017, Winker continues his hot start to the season but wasn't able to generate any production outside of his OBP. The 30-year-old has started all three games in left field for the Nationals so far while Eddie Rosario gets a look in center field, and Winker's 5-for-11 showing with a 2:3 BB:K should keep him in the lineup, even if he has only one run and one RBI to show for it so far.

Lipscomb went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Sunday's loss to the Reds.

In his second MLB game, the 23-year-old infielder drove a 91.6 mph fastball from Buck Farmer the other way over the right-field fence in the seventh inning for his first career homer. Lipscomb has carried his blistering spring into the regular season, going 3-for-7 with a homer and a steal to kick off his career, and he had a golden opportunity in front of him to lock down the starting job at third base while Nick Senzel (thumb) is sidelined.

Madrigal is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rockies.

Madrigal is on the bench for the third consecutive game, with two of his absences from the lineup coming against right-handed pitchers and one coming versus a lefty. After drawing the Opening Day nod at third base and going 1-for-3 with a double in a 4-3 loss to the Rangers, Madrigal has since ceded the hot corner to Christopher Morel. Morel had been expected to see most of his starts at designated hitter this season, but the Cubs now appear inclined to take a rotational approach to that spot in the lineup while lefty-hitting outfielder Mike Tauchman essentially replaces Madrigal when Chicago faces right-handed pitching.

Tauchman will start in right field and bat eighth in Monday's game against the Rockies.

After being excluded from the lineup in both of the Cubs' first two games of the season, Tauchman will make his second straight start Monday, with both coming against right-handed pitchers. At least for the time being, Tauchman seems to have secured a regular role against right-handers at the expense of Nick Madrigal, who will hit the bench for the second day in a row while Christopher Morel mans third base. The Cubs are likely to rotate Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki at designated hitter on days that Tauchman picks up starts in the outfield.

Scott (0-1) took the loss Sunday against the Pirates, allowing two unearned runs on one hit and one walk in one inning. He struck out three.

Taking the mound in the top of the 10th inning with Oneil Cruz as the phantom runner, Scott committed an error on Alika Williams' sacrifice bunt attempt to lead off the frame, and things went off the rails from there. The southpaw walked in Pittsburgh's second run but did eventually strike out the side and threw 20 of his 27 pitches for strikes -- an encouraging sign after he had some difficulty finding the plate consistently this spring and issued two free passes in his first 2024 appearance. Scott is still the presumed closer for the Marlins, although the team hasn't created a save chance yet, but if his control issues persist, manager Skip Schumaker may not wait long to remove him from the role. Five different players recorded at least three saves for Miami in 2023.

Montero will serve as the Rockies' designated hitter and No. 8 batter in Monday's game against the Cubs, Luke Zahlmann of The Denver Gazette reports.

Montero has now started each of the Rockies' first five games of the season, with three starts coming at DH and two at first base. Charlie Blackmon has been playing more right field than expected early on and Kris Bryant not being confined to first base has allowed Montero everyday at-bats thus far. He has just two hits, but a 3:3 K:BB is encouraging for a player who drew just 15 walks all of last season.

Gordon belted a pinch-hit solo home run off David Bednar in Sunday's extra-inning loss to Pittsburgh.

Stepping to the plate for catcher Nick Fortes in the ninth inning and the Marlins down a run, Gordon got hold of a hanging splitter from the Pirates' closer and drove it over the fence in right field. The 28-year-old has appeared in three of Miami's first four games, starting two of them in left field, but he's only collected six total at-bats and seems stuck in a strict platoon role. Gordon's homer Sunday was his first hit of the season, and he's struck out three times.

Garcia went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's extra-inning loss to the Pirates.

Getting the start in right field and batting seventh, Garcia launched a Bailey Falter splitter up in the zone deep to right-center field, giving Miami a 6-4 lead in the fourth inning that the bullpen couldn't protect. Garcia has started two of the Marlins' first four games, all in right field, and gone 2-for-12 with four strikeouts. Sunday's home run has accounted for his only extra-base hit or RBI.

Bummer (0-1) got charged with a blown save and took the loss Sunday against the Phillies, giving up two runs on four hits while striking out one in the seventh inning.

In his second appearance of the season, Bummer entered the game to protect a 3-2 lead with a runner on first and nobody out. The southpaw seemed to have gotten out of the inning clean after fanning Brandon Marsh and getting Johan Rojas to ground into a double play, but Rojas was ruled safe at first base on replay, and Bummer then allowed four straight singles. After recording 12 wins, 46 holds and an 11.7 K/9 over the prior three seasons for the White Sox, Bummer is being counted on as a reliable high-leverage option in the Atlanta bullpen, but competition is fierce and a poor start to the campaign could see him fall behind Tyler Matzek or Dylan Lee in the pecking order from the left side.

Tromp got the start Sunday with Chris Sale on the mound for Atlanta, and he could wind up being the veteran southpaw's personal catcher while he's in the majors, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Sale was very complimentary of Tromp's work behind the plate after the game, in which he struck out seven batters and walked two over 5.1 innings. If Atlanta wants to keep 35-year-old Travis d'Arnaud from breaking down while Sean Murphy (oblique) is on the shelf, Tromp will likely start more than once even five days or so, but having a pitcher like Sale talk up his game-calling skills can only help his outlook for playing time. Whether he offers anything as a hitter is another question, though -- the 29-year-old backstop went 0-for-2 on Sunday, and he slashed .210/.336/.384 with 10 homers over 65 games for Triple-A Gwinnett in 2023.