Winker went 2-for-4 with a double, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Friday's win over the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

Winker is on an insane heater; he is 22-for-52 (.423 average) with five doubles, nine homers, nine walks and a stolen base in his last 16 games. He's blossoming into the type of hitter many expected he could be as a prospect and has fought his way out of the strict platoon role he was stuck in last year.

Winker went 3-for-3 with a walk, two home runs and three RBI in a 6-1 win over the Brewers during the first game of Thursday's doubleheader.

EDGE Analysis

The 27-year-old had been in a bit of a slump, going 3-for-21 with zero RBI over his prior six games, but Winker's bat snapped back to life in impressive fashion in Thursday's matinee. On the season he's now hitting .325 with eight homers, but only 13 RBI, through 29 contests.

Winker went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in a 5-0 win over the Royal's in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader.

EDGE Analysis

Winker made sure the Reds would avoid getting shut out in both halves of the doubleheader with his long ball in the third inning. The 27-year-old is up to six homers this season, all of which have come in his last seven games. Winker has added 10 RBI, 11 runs scored and a stolen base in 22 contests overall.

Winker went 2-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI, three runs scored and a walk in Friday's 8-1 win over the Pirates.

EDGE Analysis

There may not be hotter hitter in the league than Winker. The 26-year-old has seven multi-hit games over his last 10 games, and has hit five long balls over his last five contests. With so many options in the outfield, Winker probably knew going into the season that there weren't going to be many opportunities for him to get consistent playing time, but as long as he stays hot with his bat, the Buffalo native should have the DH spot locked down and will continue to see some time in the field on occasion.

Winker went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Royals.

EDGE Analysis

With multiple hits in five of his last six games, Winker has raised average nearly 200 points to .333. He's 11-for-his-last-17 and has five extra-base hits in that span, including his first three homers of 2020. It's also worth noting that Winker has started against each of the last three lefties the Reds have faced, so it seems he's finally getting a chance to establish himself as an everyday player.

Winker went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Brewers.

EDGE Analysis

Batting fifth as the DH, Winker drove in two runs on a single in the first inning and followed up with his first long ball in the fourth. Winker started against opposing lefties on Friday and Saturday (Eric Lauer and Brett Anderson), something he did on only seven occasions last season. He's one of the few Reds batting above .240 and should at least remain a fixture against right-handed pitching.

Winker went 2-for-4 with a double and a strikeout in Thursday's 13-0 loss to Cleveland.

EDGE Analysis

Winker was rung up on a bad called third strike in the sixth inning and it looked like he might have been ejected by the home-plate umpire, but only manager David Bell was tossed from the game. By sticking around, Winker was able to notch his first multi-hit game of the season; he accounted for two of the team's three total hits. We'll see if this showing earns Winker his first start of the season against a lefty, either Friday against Eric Lauer or Saturday against Brett Anderson.

Winker is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Cubs.

EDGE Analysis

Winker will sit for the second time in four days with the Cubs bringing a southpaw (Jon Lester) to the hill. Christian Colon will take over as the Reds' designated hitter in place of Winker, who went 1-for-8 with a walk in the team's season-opening series with the Tigers.

Winker is not in the lineup for Friday's Opening Day game against the Tigers.

EDGE Analysis

With southpaw Matthew Boyd starting for Detroit, the Reds will go with a heavily right-handed lineup, sitting both Winker and Shogo Akiyama, with righties Phillip Ervin and Matt Davidson starting at left field and designated hitter, respectively. Winker owns a career 137 wRC+ against righties compared to a 52 wRC+ against lefties, so expect him to continue to be platooned heavily this season.

Winker spent much of the shutdown in Cincinnati working on improving his footwork, in the hopes of bettering his defensive skills, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports. "I was taking fly balls from DB and I just ran a ton," Winker said. "I think that was the best way to stay in shape for me, personally. Everything else -- throwing and hitting -- I've always trusted that would be there when it's time to go do that. Keeping my body in shape throughout this quarantine was my No. 1 priority."

EDGE Analysis

This is a variation on the "best shape of his life" report, but there's come confirmation from the team that Winker is in better physical shape than he was last season. He'll spend some time in the outfield, and some as the DH.