Nationals' Jesse Winker: Crosses plate three times Tuesday
Rotowire
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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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.
Nationals' Jesse Winker: Goes yard for second straight game
Rotowire
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
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: Out for Game 1
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Winker (back) is out of the lineup for Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the White Sox, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Winker was removed from Sunday's game with back spasms and wasn't part of the Nationals' lineup for Monday's matchup against the ChiSox, which was postponed. While it's possible Winker returns for the nightcap Tuesday, it's more likely he'll receive the full day off. Nick Senzel will handle DH duties during Game 1.
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Nationals' Jesse Winker: On bench for series finale
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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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Nationals' Jesse Winker: Sitting out with back spasms
Rotowire
Winker (back) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Winker was removed from Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Red Sox with back spasms. He's feeling better Monday but isn't well enough to start just yet. Winker dealt with back problems for a chunk of last season while he was with the Brewers, but his current back issue is considered unrelated. Nick Senzel will serve as the Nationals' designated hitter while Winker recovers.
Winker left Sunday's loss to the Red Sox in the sixth inning due to back spasms, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
The 30-year-old tried to play through the issue, but Winker's back flared up after he made a diving attempt to catch a sinking liner in the bottom of the fifth inning. Trey Lipscomb pinch hit for him in the sixth, with Ildemaro Vargas shifting from third base to left field defensively. Winker is slashing .235/.350/.386 through 38 games on the season with four homers, 18 RBI, 19 runs and a career-high four steals, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he got a day off Monday when the Nationals head to Chicago to face the White Sox and right-hander Chris Flexen.
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Nationals' Jesse Winker: Homers, reaches base four times
Rotowire
Winker went 2-for-2 with two walks, a three-run home run, a double and an additional run scored during Sunday's 11-8 win over the Blue Jays.
Winker entered the game in a 1-for-21 skid but broke the skid with a couple of extra-base hits, including a three-run homer off Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah that put the cap on a five-run fourth inning for the Nats. The homer was the fourth of the season for Winker, who also later added his seventh double. He's slashing .254/.372/.421 with four homers, 18 RBI, 18 runs and three stolen bases over 131 plate appearances.
