MLB Player News

Manager Torey Lovullo said Vargas is day-to-day with a bruised left thigh and rib cage after colliding with Max Muncy in Thursday's game against the Dodgers, Jose M. Romero of The Arizona Republic reports.

While Vargas is considered day-to-day, Lovullo said Vargas is unlikely to play Friday against the Nationals. It's still good news after he and Muncy were involved in a big collision at first base in the fifth inning Thursday. Pavin Smith came on to replace Vargas at first base following his injury.

Vargas was removed from Thursday's game against the Dodgers in the fifth inning after colliding with Max Muncy at first base, Jack Sommers of SI.com reports.

Muncy legged out an infield single in the top of the fifth, but he and Vargas violently collided at the bag. Both players spent several minutes on the ground before each was helped off the field. Pavin Smith has replaced Vargas at first base. Vargas went 0-for-2 at the plate before the injury.

Ortiz isn't expected to get promoted to the Nationals' big-league roster before at least the All-Star break, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports.

Acquired from the Rangers this offseason as part of the MacKenzie Gore trade, Ortiz is tearing up Triple-A right now, hitting safely in 10 straight games with a .381/.438/.952 slash line, seven homers and 23 RBI over that stretch. The Nationals could use some left-handed power on their bench, but they prefer to let the 24-year-old first baseman continue to get regular playing time rather than bringing him up in a reserve role.

Horwitz went 3-for-5 in Wednesday's 11-9 loss to the Astros.

Horwitz's bat remains hot -- he hasn't been held hitless in consecutive games since April 30-May 1. He has gone 13-for-36 (.361) with three extra-base hits over his last nine contests, a span that includes five multi-hit performances. The infielder is now batting .291 with an .852 OPS, seven home runs, 26 RBI, 24 runs scored, eight doubles, one triple and one stolen base. While Horwitz doesn't offer much speed, he gets on base enough (.390 OBP) to be a quality leadoff hitter in the absence of shortstop Konnor Griffin (elbow).

Olson went 3-for-4 with two runs scored in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Blue Jays.

Olson now has four multi-hit performances in his last six games as he continues his hot hitting. The first baseman has a .273/.348/.562 slash line and 17 home runs through 62 games this season. Olson is powering these stats by being in the 95th percentile of baseball in expected slugging (.549) and average exit velocity (93.5 mph).

Triple-A Lehigh Valley activated Anthony (toe) from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Following a rehab assignment with Single-A Clearwater and then High-A Jersey Shore, Anthony is back in action with the Triple-A club. Anthony, who missed about two months of play with a fractured toe, went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in his return to the IronPigs on Tuesday.

Vientos is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Vientos will head to the bench for the second time in the three-game series with Seattle while he's mired in extended slump at the dish. Over his last 12 games, Vientos has slashed .146/.167/.244 while drawing no walks and striking out at a 26.2 percent clip. The Mets will go with Jared Young at first base in place of Vientos on Wednesday.

Harper went 1-for-3 with a walk, a two-run home run and a second run scored in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Padres.

The veteran slugger got the Phillies on the board by taking Randy Vasquez deep in the fourth inning before crossing the plate with the winning run on an Alec Bohm double-play grounder in the sixth. Harper has just three hits in his last eight games but two of them have left the yard, and on the season he's slashing .262/.363/.519 with 14 homers, four steals, 36 runs and 36 RBI in 60 contests.

Freeman went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

The Dodgers never trailed in this contest, in part thanks to Freeman's first-inning blast. The first baseman has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, going 12-for-35 (.343) with three homers and nine RBI in that span. He's now hitting .274 with an .835 OPS, nine homers, 32 RBI, 30 runs scored, two stolen bases, 15 doubles and a triple over 58 contests. Freeman's not quite at the level he's displayed over the last two years, but he is trending up in recent weeks.

Rumfield went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Tuesday's 8-2 win over the Angels.

Rumfield was held out of the lineup Monday due to shoulder inflammation after leaving Sunday's contest early. He worked as the designated hitter Tuesday and delivered a long ball in the fourth inning, going back-to-back with Willi Castro. Rumfield is batting .286 with an .817 OPS, eight homers, 30 RBI, 24 runs scored, nine doubles, one triple and no stolen bases through 59 games this season. It's not clear when he'll return to playing first base, but his fantasy managers will be fine as long as he can continue to at least serve as DH.