MLB Player News
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Ildemaro Vargas 3B | ARI
Nationals' Ildemaro Vargas: Steals third bag of season
Vargas went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base in Wednesday's loss to the White Sox.
Batting third against southpaw Garrett Crochet as Nats manager Dave Martinez desperately tried to spark his struggling offense, Vargas didn't make a big impact but was able to steal his third bag of the year, tying his career high. The 32-year-old utility player has been seeing semi-consistent starts in May, batting .294 (5-for-17) in nine games with three doubles, two runs and an RBI. He's already played 10-plus games at both second base and third base in 2024 while also seeing duty in left field (six games) and at shortstop (three games), giving him some fantasy value in deep NL-only formats.
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Mark Vientos DH | NYM
Mets' Mark Vientos: Two hits in return to majors
Vientos went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Phillies.
Called back up form Triple-A Syracuse earlier in the day, Vientos got the start at third base against lefty Ranger Suarez and made an immediate impact, driving home Francisco Lindor with a first-inning double. Vientos' time in the majors could last a little longer this time after he was up for about a week in late April, but the 24-year-old could still see limited action and is expected to serve mainly as a short-side platoon option at the hot corner behind Brett Baty. Through 31 games at Triple-A this year, Vientos is slashing .284/.376/.500 with six homers and 30 RBI.
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Joseph Ortiz 2B | MIL
Brewers' Joey Ortiz: Homers Wednesday
Ortiz went 2-for-2 with a solo homer, two walks and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 10-2 win over the Pirates.
Ortiz is now 5-for-10 with three extra-base hits and a .615 OBP over his last three games while securing the everyday third-base job in Milwaukee. Overall, the 25-year-old Ortiz is slashing .277/.384/.511 with four homers, 12 RBI, 13 runs scored and a stolen base through 37 games this season.
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Santiago Espinal 2B | LAD
Reds' Santiago Espinal: Pops homer in loss
Espinal went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Epsinal cracked his second home run of the season in the fifth inning and has hit safely in five straight games, going 6-for-15. The infielder is playing more than originally projected, filling in at second base for Matt McLain (shoulder) or third for Noelvi Marte (suspension), but Espinal's .200 average and .536 OPS are not enticing.
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Nick Madrigal 3B | LAA
Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Three-hit effort in win
Madrigal went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 7-1 win over Atlanta.
All three hits were singles as Madrigal earned his fourth multi-hit effort in 39 contests this season. The infielder is slashing .234/.300/.281 with no home runs, nine RBI, four runs scored and one stolen base over 69 plate appearances. Madrigal had been limited to a bench role for much of the season, but he's receiving more playing time while Dansby Swanson (knee) is on the injured list and Nico Hoerner (hamstring) is out of the lineup.
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Austin Riley 3B | ATL
Braves' Austin Riley: Sitting in third straight game
Riley (side) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
He'll miss out on a third straight start while he manages left side inflammation, but with the benefit of some added rest in the form of a team off day Thursday, Riley could be healthy enough to rejoin the starting nine for Friday's series opener versus the Padres. Zack Short will make another start at third base in Riley's place Wednesday.
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Brett Baty 3B | NYM
Mets' Brett Baty: Sitting against lefty
Baty is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
With a tough lefty (Ranger Suarez) on the hill for Philadelphia, the lefty-hitting Baty will retreat to the bench. The freshly recalled Mark Vientos will get the start at third base and could end up filling the short side of a platoon with Baty while he's up with the big club.
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Oliver Dunn 2B | CHW
Brewers' Oliver Dunn: Heading to minors
The Brewers optioned Dunn to Triple-A Nashville on Wednesday.
Though he served as Milwaukee's designated hitter in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Pirates, Dunn's playing time had been relatively sparse since mid-April with Joey Ortiz overtaking him as the preferred option at third base. As a left-handed hitter, Dunn wasn't a fit for the Brewers as a strong-side platoon player, either, so he'll head to Nashville to get some everyday playing time. Outfielder Chris Roller was called up from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
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Mark Vientos DH | NYM
Mets' Mark Vientos: Summoned from Triple-A
The Mets recalled Vientos from Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.
He'll assume the 26-man active roster spot of infielder Joey Wendle, who was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Vientos will likely be limited to a short-side platoon role at third base behind the lefty-hitting Brett Baty while he's up with the big club.