MLB Player News

Vargas started at first base and went 1-for-4 with a triple in Friday's 5-4 loss to St. Louis.

Vargas stepped in at first base, which has become a revolving door for Arizona; the team ranks last in the league at the position with a .594 OPS. With Pavin Smith designated for assignment, Vargas and Tim Tawa are filling the void. Those two will compete with Tyler Locklear, who was called up Friday and raked at Triple-A Reno (.895 OPS). The switch-hitting Vargas could have an edge against right-handers, but he's batted just .149 (18-for-121) over the last 44 games.

France went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and two runs scored while striking out once in Friday's 7-6 extra-inning loss to Kansas City.

France came up with two outs in the ninth, with his team trailing 3-2, and blasted a game-tying solo home run off Alex Lange to send the game to extras. The 32-year-old's home run marked his second blast in his last three games. On the season, France has batted .268/.328/.502 with 12 homers and 34 RBI in 233 plate appearances.

Olson went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and an additional run scored during Atlanta's 15-1 win over Texas on Friday.

Olson extended Atlanta's lead to 6-0 after smacking a solo homer off Cal Quantrill in the fourth inning. Olson is up to 26 home runs on the season, ranking seventh in the majors and fourth in the National League. He has an .887 OPS with two steals and 59 RBI across 421 plate appearances in 2026.

Contreras went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Boston's 5-3 win over Tampa Bay in the second game of Friday's doubleheader.

Contreras was in the lineup for the second game of Friday's twin bill after serving his five-game suspension. He didn't take long to make an impact, smacking a solo homer off Mason Englert in the first inning to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead. It was the 21st long ball of the season for Contreras, which leads the Red Sox and is tied for seventh-most in the American League. He's also up to a .925 OPS (over 368 plate appearances), which ranks fourth in the AL.

The Diamondbacks recalled Locklear from Triple-A Reno on Friday.

Locklear will join the big club as the roster replacement for Tommy Troy (shoulder), who landed on the IL during the All-Star break. Locklear, 25, has put up just a .532 OPS across 47 games in his MLB career, but he's recently caught fire in the minors, slashing .404/.493/.807 with five homers, 14 RBI, 15 runs scored and a 10:9 BB:K across his last 15 games. He'll begin Friday's contest against St. Louis on the bench, though he could pick up a handful of starts at first base or DH while in the majors.

The Orioles recalled Encarnacion-Strand from Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.

Encarnacion-Strand will fill the 26-man roster spot vacated by Blaze Alexander, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a broken left hand. Acquired from the Reds back in April, Encarnacion-Strand has slashed .273/.309/.555 with 17 homers, 48 RBI, 35 runs scored, two stolen bases and a 12:77 BB:K across 257 plate appearances with Norfolk this season. He mostly played first base during his time with Cincinnati the previous three campaigns but has seen more action at the hot corner this year at Triple-A.

The Diamondbacks will recall Locklear from Triple-A Reno prior to Friday's game versus the Cardinals, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.

He will absorb the roster spot vacated by Tommy Troy (shoulder), who was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Locklear missed the first month-plus of the season while continuing his recovery from left shoulder and left elbow surgeries, but he's been swinging a red-hot bat at Reno in July, going 19-for-43 (.442) with five homers in 11 games. He could see regular playing time between first base and/or designated hitter.

Harper went 1-for-5 with a run scored in Sunday's win over the Tigers.

Harper is entering the All-Star break in quite a rough slump. Over his last 14 games, the star first baseman has gone just 8-for-51 (.157) with one home run, three doubles, seven RBI and four runs scored. Fantasy managers will be hoping Harper, who's slashing what's still a potent .260/.365/.497 with 20 homers, 57 RBI and five stolen bases over 408 plate appearances, rediscovers his power stroke following Monday's Home Run Derby.

Aranda went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and was hit by a pitch in Sunday's 8-2 loss to the Mariners.

Aranda's lone hit produced the only scoring of the night for Tampa Bay, as he launched a two-run homer off Eduard Bazardo in the eighth inning. The long ball was his 14th of the year to match his career high from last season. The first baseman heads into the All-Star break swinging a hot bat, going 11-for-19 (.579) with six RBI over his last five games. Through 93 games, Aranda is slashing .297/.394/.471 with 14 home runs, 17 doubles, 64 RBI and 48 runs scored.

Busch went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 8-4 win over the Reds.

Busch laced his 16th and 17th doubles of the season to help lead Chicago to victory, and he hit them both against southpaw Andrew Abbott to boot. The first baseman goes into the break with five hits across his last two games, but it's mostly been an underwhelming first half following his breakout 2025. Busch has a .763 OPS, 11 home runs and 49 RBI across 95 contests so far this year. In 2025, he finished with an .866 OPS, 34 homers and 90 RBI in 155 regular-season games.