MLB Player News

Vargas entered Wednesday's game in seventh inning to play second base after Ketel Marte left with a foot injury. Vargas singled in his lone plate appearance.

Imaging on Marte's foot came back negative, and the Diamondbacks are hoping he'll be ready to go for the series in Minnesota that begins Friday. Vargas remains on hand if needed, as are Blaze Alexander and Tim Tawa.

Andujar has been limited to designated-hitter and pinch-hitting duties by a quad injury, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Andujar was a stellar under-the-radar trade deadline acquisition, rolling to a .388/.444/.673 slash line in his first 16 games with Cincinnati. It was at that time the quad injury popped up. This explains his limited usage the last few weeks, but the bat remains helpful. Andujar has gone 7-for-21 (.333) with three RBI and .772 OPS over the last eight contests. He also had the game-winning knock as a pinch hitter in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Padres.

Burns (elbow) will initially pitch out of the bullpen upon his expected activation Friday, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.

Burns will be limited in his innings and usage but could make a serious impact as a reliever. The right-hander can pair a triple-digit fastball and wipeout slider in short outings. Burns has worked his way back from a flexor tendon strain that's kept him on the injured list since Aug. 15 (retroactive to Aug. 12).

Tawa started at first base and went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in Wednesday's 5-3 win over San Francisco.

Tawa helped Arizona build an early lead with a run-producing single in the second inning and then scored the team's final run in the sixth. He's made two straight starts -- Tawa started in center field against a left-hander Tuesday. Wednesday's start at first was just his 11th in the pros, and he made a nice pick on a throw to keep Luis Matos off the bases. With MLB.com reporting that Tyler Locklear (elbow) is expected to miss the rest of the season, Tawa (against lefties) and Ildemaro Vargas (righties) will likely share first base going forward. Tawa also gives manager Torey Lovullo a right-handed bat to use against southpaws.

Perdomo went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Giants.

Perdomo put San Francisco on its back foot early, connecting on a leadoff homer in the first inning and then delivering a run-scoring single on his next at-bat one inning later. Despite a recent four-hit game, the shortstop's bat has been relatively quiet since the end of August; he entered Wednesday's game 8-for-47 (.170) over the previous 12 contests. The slump does nothing to diminish Perdomo's contributions in the second half, as he's slashed .319/.406/.465 since the All-Star break and is up to 18 home runs, 93 RBI and 25 steals over 146 games.

Sale (5-5) was charged with the loss Wednesday against the Cubs, allowing three runs on seven hits and one walk in five innings. He struck out nine.

Sale continues to rack up the strikeouts, as he's now fanned nine in three consecutive outings since coming off the injured list. The three runs allowed were his most since his April 13 start in Tampa Bay, but the All-Star southpaw has registered at least seven punchouts in 11 of his last 12 appearances dating back to the end of April. On the year, he has a stellar 2.52 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 141:28 K:BB across 107 frames. Sale is next slated to face the division-rival Nationals, who have a paltry .574 OPS against left-handed pitching since the All-Star break.

Taillon didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out two.

Taillon appeared to have a slight limitation on his workload in his return from the injured list, as he threw just 79 pitches Wednesday. The veteran right-hander still managed to put in 4.1 serviceable frames, although the two strikeouts represented his second-lowest total of the season. Taillon will be aiming to handle a full starter's workload in his next appearance, which lines up as a favorable matchup against the last-place Pirates. Through 110.2 innings, he has a 4.15 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 83:23 K:BB.

Hernandez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a 9-0 win against Colorado on Wednesday.

Hernandez capped the scoring in a dominant Dodgers victory with a 445-foot solo shot to center field in the eighth inning. The long ball was his third in his past two contests following a 14-game homerless stretch. Hernandez batted just .122 with a 30.4 percent strikeout rate during that power drought, but he seems to be getting back in tune just in time for the stretch run.

Betts with 4-for-5 with a grand slam and an RBI double in Wednesday's 9-0 victory versus the Rockies.

Betts contributed to a four-run Los Angeles second inning with a double that drove home Shohei Ohtani. Betts then broke the game open with a grand slam that made the score 8-0 in the eighth inning. The big game marked the fifth straight multi-RBI effort by the talented shortstop. Extending further, Betts has reached base in 16 consecutive contests, batting .381 (24-for-63) with five homers, 17 RBI and nine runs scored over that span.

Freeland (4-15) took the loss against the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing four runs (one earned) on nine hits and one walk while striking out five batters over 5.2 innings.

All four of the runs Freeland allowed came in the second frame, though an inning-opening Rockies error meant that only one of those runs was earned. Nonetheless, Freeland was hardly sharp -- he gave up at least one hit in all but one of the frames in which he pitched and was pulled with two outs in the sixth after loading the bases. The southpaw's loss was his 15th of the campaign, tied for most in the majors with teammate Antonio Senzatela and Washington's Mitchell Parker. Freeland will look to avoid another defeat the next time he takes the mound, which is slated to be next week against Miami.