MLB Player News

Young is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets will leave the left-handed hitter out of the lineup for the second straight day while Atlanta sends lefty Martin Perez to the bump. Mark Vientos will fill in for Young at first base and bat cleanup.

Vargas started at first base and went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Brewers.

Vargas' eighth-inning double plated what eventually turned out to be the winning run. He made a second straight start at first base and is 4-for-8 with two RBI in those two games. Saturday's start was against a right-hander, which is usually Pavin Smith's job. Even though the early-season shine has come off Vargas' bat -- he had a .102 batting average and .336 OPS over 34 games from May 20 through the end of June -- he could gain more opportunities, as Smith (.152/.260/.212) is having his own struggles at the plate.

Smith was held out of the starting lineup Saturday against Milwaukee right-hander Brandon Woodruff.

Smith is typically a lineup staple against righties, but Ildemaro Vargas got the start at first base Saturday. Smith is a career 1-for-11 against Woodruff, but the decision to sit him may have been more about a current slump. Smith is batting just .152 since coming off the injured list in late May and entered Saturday with two hits over his last 27 at-bats (.074).

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a second RBI and a walk in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Padres.

Freeman homered in the sixth inning and added an RBI single in the eighth. The first baseman has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, going 21-for-48 (.438) with three homers and nine RBI in that span. For the season, he's hitting .297 with an .895 OPS, 15 homers, 49 RBI, 51 runs scored, three stolen bases, 22 doubles and one triple over 87 contests.

Garcia went 2-for-4 with a walk, two home runs and three RBI in Friday's 9-5 win over the Pirates.

The Nationals launched five homers in total on the night, with Garcia and Daylen Lile both going yard twice. Garcia's blasts came in the first inning off Mitch Keller and the seventh off Isaac Mattson, and the 26-year-old infielder has slugged a stunning nine home runs in last last 13 games, a surge that has seen him produce a .415/.478/1.148 slash line with 12 runs and 17 RBI. Garcia's 18 homers on the season in just 82 games have already tied his career high, and his 62 RBI tie him for third in the majors behind only the Athletics' Nick Kurtz (66) and the Cardinals' Jordan Walker (63).

Vargas went 3-for-5 with one RBI in Friday's 7-4 extra-innings loss to the Brewers.

Vargas started at first base against left-hander Kyle Harrison and delivered a good game. While Vargas remains a regular in the lineup versus southpaws, his playing time versus right-handers has been limited lately. He hit just .100 over 23 games in June to lose out on a starting role and will likely be limited to utility duties as long as Arizona's infield is mostly healthy. Vargas is hitting .263 with a .709 OPS, seven home runs, 45 RBI, 38 runs scored and a stolen base over 273 plate appearances this season.

Bauers went 3-for-6 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Friday's 7-4 extra-innings win over the Diamondbacks.

Bauers has a pair of three-hit efforts over his last four games. The first baseman is hitting .265 (13-for-49) over his last 15 contests, but he's also struck out 21 times in that span, as he's started to swing and miss more frequently. Overall, he's hitting .269 with an .864 OPS, 15 home runs, 52 RBI, 50 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple and five stolen bases across 77 contests as a regular in the lineup for much of the campaign.

Olson went 2-for-3 with two solo home runs and a walk in Friday's 5-3 win over the Mets.

Olson snapped a 16-game power drought with solo shots in the fifth and eighth innings. It marked the second multi-homer game of the campaign for the veteran slugger, who had doubled in three of his past six games entering Friday. For the year, he's slashing .273/.345/.538 with 22 home runs, 54 RBI, 57 runs scored and two steals across 374 plate appearances.

Atlanta designated Tellez for assignment Thursday.

Tellez was with the big club for three weeks but received only one start and 11 plate appearances, going 2-for-10 with a home run. He's likely to pass through waivers and would have the ability to elect free agency at that point.

Smith went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in Wednesday's 6-4 loss to the Giants.

Smith's run-scoring single was the first salvo in Arizona's attempted comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning, when the club scored its four runs. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo continues to show patience with the slumping first baseman, who entered the game on a 1-for-23 (.043) skid, by running him out there when the team faces right-handers. Smith is slashing .152/.260/.212 with one home run and six RBI since coming off a lengthy stay on the injured list in late May.