Fantasy News

• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Sitting against lefty

  Rotowire Jun 23, 2024

  Winker isn't in the Nationals' lineup for Sunday's game versus Colorado. The left-handed bat of Winker will step out of the lineup Sunday as the Nationals prepare to face left-handed starter Kyle Freeland. Ildemaro Vargas will enter to cover left field and bat third while Winker sits.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Goes yard again Thursday

  Rotowire Jun 21, 2024

  Winker went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the Diamondbacks. For the second straight game, Winker went yard in the sixth inning, this time taking Ryne Nelson deep. While those are the veteran outfielder's only two long balls in June, he's otherwise putting together an impressive month, slashing .389/.484/.519 through 17 games with nine runs and 10 RBI.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Swats seventh homer

  Rotowire Jun 20, 2024

  Winker went 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run home run in Wednesday's 3-1 win over Arizona. He delivered what proved to be the game-winning hit in the sixth inning when he drove a Brandon Pfaadt splitter over the fence in left-center field. Winker snapped a 25-game homer drought with the blast, but he wasn't exactly slumping during that stretch, batting .333 (25-for-75) over that stretch. On the season, the 30-year-old outfielder is slashing .266/.380/.406 with seven homers, 11 steals, 33 RBI and 34 runs in 70 contests.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Two hits in return

  Rotowire Jun 19, 2024

  Winker went 2-for-3 with a double in Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks. The Nats managed only four hits on the night in a shutout loss, with Winker's fourth-inning double being the team's only extra-base hit. The 30-year-old outfielder sat out Sunday's game after tweaking his knee on the basepaths Saturday, but he seemed no worse for wear Tuesday. On the season, Winker is slashing .270/.381/.398 with six homers, 31 RBI, 33 runs and a career-high 11 steals in 69 contests.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Starting Tuesday

  Rotowire Jun 18, 2024

  Winker (knee) is batting third and playing left field Tuesday against the Diamondbacks. Winker exited Saturday's game against the Marlins with a right knee injury, but he's back in the Nationals' lineup after a one-game absence. The 30-year-old is slashing .265/.378/.390 with 11 stolen bases this season.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Avoids structural damage to knee

  Rotowire Jun 16, 2024

  Winker, who is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins, said an MRI on his right knee showed no structural damage, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports. Winker noted, however, that he's still dealing with some stiffness in his right knee, which he injured while running the bases in the first inning of Saturday's 4-0 win before he was pulled in the third inning. The 30-year-old said that he expects to be good to go after a couple of days of rest, and he'll benefit from the Nationals being off Monday before the team begins a three-game set with the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Not starting Sunday

  Rotowire Jun 16, 2024

  Winker (knee) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins. Winker required an MRI after exiting Saturday's 4-0 win with a right knee injury, and while the results of his medical tests haven't yet been revealed, he'll be forced to miss out on at least one start. With Winker out of the lineup Sunday, Ildemaro Vargas will pick up a start in left field.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Having imaging done on right knee

  Rotowire Jun 15, 2024

  Winker will undergo an MRI after sustaining a right knee injury during Saturday's game against the Marlins, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports. Winker awkwardly slid back into second after rounding the base on a Ildemaro Vargas hit and was removed from the game in the third inning. The outfielder will have an MRI done on his right knee later Saturday, which should provide some insight on the severity of the injury.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Exits early versus Miami

  Rotowire Jun 15, 2024

  Winker (undisclosed) exited Saturday's matchup with the Marlins in the bottom of the third inning, Spencer Nusbaum of The Washington Post reports. Winker singled and later rounded second base on a base knock from Ildemaro Vargas in the bottom of the first inning before being tagged out after awkwardly sliding back into the bag. Luis Garcia replaced Winker at the plate in the third inning and more information on Winker's status will likely come following Saturday's contest.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Crosses plate three times Tuesday

  Rotowire Jun 5, 2024

  Winker went 1-for-2 with a walk, a stolen base and three runs scored in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Mets. The steal actually came on a botched pickoff, as Mets starter David Peterson had Winker dead to rights but Pete Alonso couldn't handle the pitcher's throw to first. It still goes into the books as Winker's 11th stolen base of the season, an incredible number considering he came into the year just 3-for-6 on the basepaths over 610 career big-league games. The 30-year-old outfielder is also locked in at the plate right now, batting .343 (12-for-35) with a .429 OBP over the last 11 contests, but his only extra-base hit among those dozen knocks is a double.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Drives in three Monday

  Rotowire Jun 4, 2024

  Winker went 3-for-4 with a walk and three RBI in Monday's loss to the Mets. All three hits were singles, but it was still a productive night for Winker. His performance was marred by a caught stealing to end the second inning, however -- one of many mistakes by the Nats in what proved to be a one-run loss. The 30-year-old outfielder is batting .333 (11-for-33) over the last 10 games, but his only extra-base hit during that stretch is a double, and his homer drought currently stands at 13 games.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Steals streak at four games

  Rotowire May 31, 2024

  Winker went 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base in Thursday's win over Atlanta. The 30-year-old has been arguably the biggest beneficiary this season of the Nationals' aggressive approach on the basepaths. Winker is up to a career-high 10 steals on the season, including a pilfer in four straight games, and over the last 12 games he's slashing .297/.386/.514 with two homers and six RBI.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Keeps running Wednesday

  Rotowire May 30, 2024

  Winker went 1-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in Wednesday's win over Atlanta. The Nationals ran wild once again, stealing five bags as a team, and Winker has been a surprising contributor to that success on the basepaths. The 30-year-old came into 2024 with only three career steals in six attempts, but he's already 9-for-10 this year, including stolen bases in three straight games and four of the last five. Winker's bat is also coming back to life, and over the last 11 contests he's batting .303 (10-for-33) with two homers, five RBI and seven runs.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Swipes seventh bag Monday

  Rotowire May 28, 2024

  Winker went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Monday's win over Atlanta. After being held out of Sunday's starting nine due to mild cramping in his quadriceps, Winker looked fully healthy Monday as he stole his seventh bag of the year. The 30-year-old was mired in a slump through the first half of May, but he appears to be heating up again -- over his last nine games, he's batting .296 (8-for-27) with a double, two homers, three steals, five RBI and six runs.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Back in lineup Monday

  Rotowire May 27, 2024

  Winker (quad) will start at designated hitter and bat sixth in Monday's game in Atlanta. Winker exited Saturday's game versus the Mariners and didn't start the following day because of left quad cramps, but he entered Sunday's game as a pinch hitter and is feeling well enough to DH in this one. He's slashing just .172/.290/.359 so far in May following a .265/.381/.418 line in April.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Sitting with quad cramps

  Rotowire May 26, 2024

  Winker is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mariners due to left quadriceps cramps, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports. The 30-year-old exited Saturday's 3-1 win due to the cramps and will be held out of the starting nine Sunday, though he'll be available as a pinch hitter. Winker should be able to rejoin the lineup in the next day or two.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Exits with cramps

  Rotowire May 25, 2024

  Manager Davey Martinez said Winker cramped up while running the bases during Saturday's win over Seattle, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports. It's unclear exactly where Winker is hurting, but Martinez said he believes the 30-year-old will be able to play Sunday. Winker went 2-for-3 before exiting Saturday's game in the seventh inning and is now slashing .273/.385/.591 across his last seven games.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Goes yard for second straight game

  Rotowire May 21, 2024

  Winker went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a solo home run and a second run scored in Monday's win over the Twins. He led off the fourth inning by working the count full against Pablo Lopez before crushing a fastball over the fence in center field. Winker has left the yard in back-to-back games and has four hits in his last three contests, but that comes on the heels of an 0-for-21 stretch. On the season, the 30-year-old is slashing .232/.346/.411 with six homers, five steals, 21 RBI and 22 runs in 44 games; however, Winker may need to stay hot if he wants to hang onto a significant role in the OF/DH mix with Lane Thomas (knee) closing in on his return and top prospect James Wood (.393/.493/.689 in May for Triple-A Rochester) pounding on the door for a promotion.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: Swats solo homer

  Rotowire May 19, 2024

  Winker went 1-for-4 with a solo home run during Sunday's 11-5 loss to the Phillies. Winker is in the midst of a lengthy slump, entering the game with one hit in his last 25 at-bats. His only hit during that stretch came in Saturday's game, which, combined with Sunday's homer, could mean brighter days ahead for the 30-year-old. Even with the cold spell, Winker is slashing .224/.339/.381 with five homers and five stolen bases.

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• Nationals' Jesse Winker: On bench for series finale

  Rotowire May 15, 2024

  Winker is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports. Winker was held out of the lineup for the front end of Tuesday's doubleheader while he recovered from back spasms, but he was back in the starting nine at designated hitter for the Nationals' 4-0 loss in the nightcap, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout. The Nationals haven't indicated that Winker suffered a setback with his back coming out of Tuesday's contest, so his absence Wednesday likely has more to do with the White Sox bringing a lefty (Garrett Crochet) to the hill.

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