MLB Player News

Vargas is slashing .367/.486/.600 with a home run, two doubles, a triple, 12 runs, seven RBI and 7:4 BB:K through eight games with Triple-A Oklahoma City in May.

Vargas batted a modest .259 in April but has picked things up significantly this month to lift his average to .287 on the season. The 22-year-old turned heads with .319/.380/.526 slash line, 23 homers and 11 stolen bases between two minor-league levels in 2021 and hit .308 with a .500 on-base-percentage in nine Cactus League games with the Dodgers this spring. He has impressed at every level of the minors and has even improved his already steady plate discipline this season, walking almost as many times (21) as he has struck out (22). He figures to be a big part of the Dodgers' future plans and could get his first call-up at some point during the current campaign.

Donovan went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Orioles.

After Paul DeJong was demoted to Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday, Donovan was given the first opportunity to replace him in the lineup at shortstop. The 25-year-old launched a solo homer off Dillon Tate to open the bottom of the ninth inning, narrowing the deficit to the eventual 5-3 final score. The long ball was Donovan's first of the season and he has posted a .188 batting average with two RBI in 16 at-bats this year. He will compete with Edmundo Sosa (illness) for playing time at shortstop with DeJong now out of the picture.

Rodgers is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game at San Francisco, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Rodgers started the past eight games and came alive offensively during that stretch, going 10-for-32 with a home run, two doubles, eight RBI and six runs. Garrett Hampson will start at the keystone Tuesday.

India (hamstring) took part in agility drills on the field prior to Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Back on the 10-day injured list for the second time this season after aggravating his lingering right hamstring issue, India is likely to remain on the shelf for at least another week. The fact that he's taking part in on-field work bodes well for his chances of returning before the end of May, but India still has several more hurdles to clear in the recovery process before the Reds pinpoint a target date for his activation from the IL.

Donovan will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Tuesday's game against the Orioles, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Following the demotion of the struggling Paul DeJong to Triple-A Memphis earlier Tuesday, Donovan will get the first chance to replace him in the starting nine. Donovan turned in a .789 OPS at Memphis prior to earning his first call-up to the majors April 25, but he's seen limited action with the Cardinals thus far, slashing .154/.214/.154 across 14 plate appearances. He likely won't have much time to try and establish himself as the Cards' starting shortstop, as Donovan is expected to face competition for the role as soon as Thursday, when Edmundo Sosa (illness) could be cleared to return from the COVID-19 injured list.

Marte went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-3 win over the Marlins.

Marte's sixth-inning blast was the game-deciding hit, as he continued to put a season-opening slump in the past. He's hit safely in nine straight game (13-for-32, .406), including an extra-base hit in eight of those contests. The improved bat may also have calmed him in the field, where he ranks lower half among second baseman in Outs Above Average and success rate, per MLB's Baseball Savant. Marte made a game-ending double play on a ball hit sharply to his left -- the kind of play he hadn't made on multiple occasions over the past month.

Estrada went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base in an 8-5 win over Miami on Monday.

Estrada singled in the sixth inning and subsequently stole second base, and he knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. The infielder came into the campaign having notched just one theft in each of his previous two seasons, but he has already stolen four bases on four attempts in 2022. Estrada has above-average speed but last reached double-digit stolen bases in the minors in 2016, so his success in that department thus far comes as a bit of a surprise.

Dubon went 3-for-4 with a home run, two total runs and three total RBI in Monday's 8-5 win over the Marlins.

Dubon plated the first run for the Giants with a sacrifice fly in the first inning, and he followed that with a two-run shot to center field in the third. The utility man collected two more hits along the way to finish with his first three-hit performance of the campaign. Dubon is batting just .244 on the season but has heated up of late, going 6-for-12 with a pair of homers and five RBI over his past three games.

Drury went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Monday's win over the Brewers.

Drury singled in the third inning before launching a three-run homer off Brandon Woodruff in the bottom of the fifth frame. The 29-year-old notched multiple hits for the third time in four games and extended his hit streak to six games Monday. Over that six game stretch, Drury has produced 10 hits including two long balls while collecting 10 RBI and scoring seven runs over 25 at-bats. After signing with the Reds in the offseason, he's batting .284 with six homers and 18 RBI over 24 games this season.

Marte went 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Sunday's 4-0 win over Colorado.

Marte extended his hitting streak to eight games and climbed above .200 for the first time in three weeks. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that Marte has gotten "a little bit of his swagger back" at the plate. "He's not there quite yet. But he's checking off the pitches he's supposed to. He's starting to impact the ball at certain times in certain situations," the manager added. The second baseman is 11-for-28 (.393) with five walks, seven extra-base hits and seven runs scored during the eight-game run.