Jesse Winker
LF/DH WSH
Mon 4/1/24 4:38 PM

Winker was removed from Monday's game against the Pirates with an apparent injury, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
Winker didn't suffer an obvious injury but was replaced in left field by Eddie Rosario to begin the top of the second inning. He didn't take an at-bat or have a ball hit to him before being lifted. The Nationals should provide more clarity on Winker's situation soon.

Jesse Winker
LF/DH WSH
Mon 4/1/24 11:50 AM

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

Jesse Winker
LF/DH WSH
Sun 3/24/24 10:01 AM

The Nationals selected Winker to the major-league roster Sunday.
EDGE Analysis
The 30-year-old joined the Nationals as a non-roster invitee in February and earned a place on the Opening Day roster with a .932 OPS in 15 Grapefruit League games. Winker posted a .567 OPS with Milwaukee last season but was limited to 61 games while returning from neck and knee surgeries, and he'll likely need to be more productive in 2024 in order to stick around in Washington.

Jesse Winker
LF/DH WSH
Tue 3/12/24 1:13 PM

Winker could miss out on a big-league roster spot with the Nationals after the team added Eddie Rosario last week, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
EDGE Analysis
The 30-year-old Winker looked like a good bet to break camp with the Nats when he signed an NRI deal in February, provided that he was healthy and could re-discover his old form at the plate. He's held up his end up that bargain so far, batting .350 (7-for-20) through nine spring games with two doubles and a 5:4 BB:K, but the Rosario signing likely bumps Joey Gallo from left field to first base and Joey Meneses from 1B to DH, seeming to leave little room for a defensively limited player like Winker.

Jesse Winker
LF/DH WSH
Sat 2/17/24 1:02 PM

Winker says his struggles last season were due to a prolonged recovery from multiple surgeries in the prior offseason, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.
EDGE Analysis
The 30-year-old underwent knee surgery in October 2022 and followed it up with disc replacement surgery in his neck, so it's perhaps not surprising in retrospect that he never seemed comfortable at the plate in 2023. "I think the recovery was a little bit harder than I thought it was going to be," Winker said Friday. "It took me a little bit longer than I thought, but I think I'm in a really good spot now. For me, that's all that matters. Obviously, I learned a lot going through those, and I'm happy I did." Winker signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals last week as he looks to make a comeback, and he posted a .305/.394/.556 slash line in 110 games for the Reds as recently as 2021. If he is 100 percent healthy again, he could quickly move into a regular role as the primary DH on a Washington roster in dire need of offense.

Jesse Winker
LF/DH WSH
Mon 2/12/24 6:49 PM

Winker signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Monday that includes an invitation to spring training, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
EDGE Analysis
Winker has been in a tailspin the last two seasons, slashing just .214/.337/.318 between the Mariners and Brewers while battling multiple injuries. The Nationals will hope the player who had an .888 OPS from 2017-21 can reemerge. Winker should be in the mix at designated hitter and left field against right-handed pitching.

Jesse Winker
LF/DH WSH
Tue 10/3/23 11:35 AM

Winker (quad/back) is on the Brewers' roster for their NL Wild Card Series matchup versus the Diamondbacks.
EDGE Analysis
Winker missed the final two months of the regular season due to back and quad injuries, but he has suddenly reemerged -- likely as a pinch-hitting option against righties -- for this best-of-three series against Arizona. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter owns a career .853 OPS versus right-handed pitching.

Jesse Winker
LF/DH WSH
Tue 9/12/23 12:02 PM

Winker (quadricep/back) is scheduled to resume his rehab assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Nashville, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
Winker suffered a quad injury while playing in a game for Nashville earlier this month, but it has proven to be a minor setback and he could return to the Brewers as early as this weekend. The 30-year-old originally landed on the 10-day injured list July 26 with back spasms.

Jesse Winker
LF/DH WSH
Mon 9/4/23 4:48 PM

Winker (back) hurt his right quad during his rehab assignment with Triple-A Nashville and he has been moved back to the 10-day injured list from his rehab assignment, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
EDGE Analysis
Winker hit .333 with a .480 OBP and zero home runs in 39 at-bats during his rehab assignment. It's unclear how serious this latest quad injury is, but Winker, who had been rehabbing back spasms, should be considered out indefinitely.

Jesse Winker
LF/DH WSH
Tue 8/22/23 5:18 PM

Winker (back) shifted his rehab assignment Tuesday to Triple-A Nashville, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.
EDGE Analysis
Winker is now just one step away from returning to the Brewers' active major-league roster after going 5-for-13 in four games with High-A Wisconsin. He's been sidelined since late July due to back spasms.