MLB Player News

Vargas went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Tuesday's 6-5 win against Atlanta.

Vargas provided a key swing in the third inning, taking Grant Holmes deep for a two-run homer to put Chicago on the board. The blast was his 16th of the season. Vargas has now recorded a hit in nine of his last 10 games, launching four homers during that span. The third baseman is now slashing .243/.371/.498 with 10 doubles, one triple, 43 RBI, 49 runs scored and nine stolen bases across 286 plate appearances.

Eldridge went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a double and two walks in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Nationals.

Eldridge tacked on a ninth-inning long ball to put a bow on a good individual performance, though it wasn't enough for the Giants. The 21-year-old has really come around with steady playing time lately, going 19-for-43 (.442) over his last 12 contests. He's batting .300 with an .885 OPS, three homers, eight RBI, 15 runs scored, eight doubles and no stolen bases over 104 plate appearances. As long as Casey Schmitt is filling a full-time role in left field to cover the absence of Heliot Ramos (quadriceps), there's room for Eldridge in the lineup on a near-everyday basis as well. At this point, Eldridge has hit well enough to make it tough to sit him.

Olson went 2-for-4 with two home runs, a walk and three RBI in Tuesday's 6-5 loss to the White Sox.

Olson wasted little time making an impact, opening the scoring with a two-run homer off opener Brandon Eisert in the first inning. Olson came right back in his next plate appearance and launched a solo shot, giving him his first multi-homer game of the season. The first baseman has been swinging the bat well lately, collecting four homers over his last 13 games while batting .302 during that stretch. Olson is now up to 19 home runs on the year, trailing only Kyle Schwarber for the National League lead, and he owns a .271 average and .903 OPS through 67 games.

Houser (2-6) allowed three runs on four hits and a hit batsman while striking out six and walking none over 4.1 innings to take the loss Tuesday versus the Nationals.

Houser has failed to complete five innings in each of his last four appearances, giving up 13 runs (12 earned) across 17 innings in that span. He's also posted a 20:5 K:BB during that stretch, which is a noticeable improvement in control despite the otherwise poor performances. Overall, the veteran right-hander has a 5.54 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and 46:24 K:BB through 65 innings across 13 starts. He'll be tough to trust in fantasy until further notice. His next start is projected to be a tough one on the road versus Atlanta.

Nunez went 1-for-4 with a double and a stolen base in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Giants.

With the steal, Nunez is up to 24 thefts on the season. That's good for the National League lead and is tied with Jose Ramirez for most in the majors. Nunez has made the most of his chances on the basepaths considering he's hitting just .202 with a .517 OPS this season. He has yet to hit a home run while adding 18 RBI, 23 runs scored, three doubles and a triple through 63 games, so he'll remain a speed specialist until he can display more pop.

Wood went 3-for-5 with one RBI, a stolen base and two runs scored in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Giants.

Wood has gone 7-for-19 (.368) over the first five games of the Nationals' road trip. He's also posted a steal in both of the last two contests, giving him 12 thefts on 13 attempts as he tracks toward a career year on the basepaths. The outfielder is also hitting .271 with a .934 OPS, 17 home runs, 41 RBI, 60 runs scored and 15 doubles across 68 games. He continues to be Washington's main leadoff hitter.

Garcia went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Giants.

Garcia got the scoring started with a first-inning blast, and the Nationals never looked back. He's slugged three long balls over his last five games, a span in which he's gone 5-for-18 (.278). For the season, he is hitting .262 with a .749 OPS, eight homers, 40 RBI, 25 runs scored and two stolen bases over 62 contests. He's halfway to matching his homer total from 139 games a year ago.

Fedde did not factor into the decision Tuesday against Atlanta, allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out one over five innings.

Working behind opener Brandon Eisert, Fedde entered with two outs and two runners aboard in the first inning after Eisert had already surrendered two runs. The veteran right-hander settled in nicely and helped keep the White Sox in the game, though he did allow a solo homer to Matt Olson in the third inning. Another run crossed the plate later in the frame when Fedde committed a fielding error. He has now allowed two or fewer earned runs in three straight outings and he now sports a 4.69 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 40:24 K:BB across 63.1 innings. Fedde will face a difficult test in his next scheduled start against the Dodgers.

Alvarez allowed two runs on five hits and five walks while striking out four over four-plus innings in a no-decision versus the Giants on Tuesday.

Alvarez had displayed fairly good control in his first six appearances this season, but he didn't deliver in that area Tuesday. Luckily for him, the Giants' offense didn't capitalize much against him -- the two runs on his line came when Brad Lord allowed both inherited runners to score in the fifth inning. Alvarez is now at a 3.70 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 26:11 K:BB across 24.1 innings over seven appearances (two starts) in the majors this season. Maintaining his control will be critical for Alvarez to keep a spot in the rotation. His next start is tentatively projected to be at home versus the Royals.

Mitchell went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-5 loss to the Athletics.

Mitchell didn't get in on the fun in Monday's slugfest, going 0-for-6 with three strikeouts. He bounced back with his third multi-hit effort of the month Tuesday. The outfielder is hitting .346 (9-for-26) over seven games in June, lifting his average to .247 for the season. Mitchell has added a .758 OPS, three home runs, six stolen bases, 31 RBI, 26 runs scored, 12 doubles and two triples through 56 contests. He continues to hold down the strong side of a platoon in center field, though he had started against southpaws in the two games prior to Tuesday's matchup against righty J.T. Ginn.