MLB Player News

Vargas started at first base and went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Brewers.

Vargas' eighth-inning double plated what eventually turned out to be the winning run. He made a second straight start at first base and is 4-for-8 with two RBI in those two games. Saturday's start was against a right-hander, which is usually Pavin Smith's job. Even though the early-season shine has come off Vargas' bat -- he had a .102 batting average and .336 OPS over 34 games from May 20 through the end of June -- he could gain more opportunities, as Smith (.152/.260/.212) is having his own struggles at the plate.

Smith was held out of the starting lineup Saturday against Milwaukee right-hander Brandon Woodruff.

Smith is typically a lineup staple against righties, but Ildemaro Vargas got the start at first base Saturday. Smith is a career 1-for-11 against Woodruff, but the decision to sit him may have been more about a current slump. Smith is batting just .152 since coming off the injured list in late May and entered Saturday with two hits over his last 27 at-bats (.074).

Alonso went 3-for-3 with one double, one RBI, one run scored and two walks in Saturday's 8-5 win over the Reds.

Alonso reached base in all five of his plate appearances, capped by an RBI single in the eighth inning and a double in the ninth. It marked the second three-hit effort for the first baseman over his past nine games, a stretch in which he's tallied four extra-base hits and seven RBI. On the season, he's slashing .254/.347/.472 with 19 homers, 60 RBI, 54 runs scored and two steals across 389 plate appearances.

Freeman went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a second RBI and a walk in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Padres.

Freeman homered in the sixth inning and added an RBI single in the eighth. The first baseman has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, going 21-for-48 (.438) with three homers and nine RBI in that span. For the season, he's hitting .297 with an .895 OPS, 15 homers, 49 RBI, 51 runs scored, three stolen bases, 22 doubles and one triple over 87 contests.

Contreras went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run in an 8-1 victory versus the Angels on Saturday.

Contreras was handed a seven-game suspension Thursday for his role in a dust-up between Boston and Washington on Tuesday, but the veteran first baseman is able to continue playing during his appeal. That paid off big time for Boston, as Contreras clubbed a three-run homer in the first inning Saturday to give the team a lead they didn't relinquish. Contreras wasn't among the players announced for the AL All-Star team Saturday, but he's certainly put up worthy numbers in the first half. Through 85 games, he's slashing .285/.378/.536 with 19 home runs, 56 RBI, 44 runs and two stolen bases.

Clemens went 2-for-4 with a walk, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI in Saturday's 11-4 win over the Yankees.

The 30-year-old slugger homered for a third straight game when he took Brendan Beck deep for a two-run shot in the first inning, the first of six long balls by the Twins on the afternoon. Clemens is up to 16 home runs on the season, and five of them have come in his last eight contests -- a stretch in which he's batting .303 (10-for-33) with 10 runs and 12 RBI.

Burger is not in the Rangers' starting lineup against the Tigers on Saturday.

Burger has struggled at the plate recently, having gone 1-for-20 with six strikeouts and two RBI over his last five games. He'll get a breather Saturday while Josh Smith starts at first base and bats second.

Kurtz went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk in Friday's loss to the Marlins.

Kurtz launched his 20th homer of the season with a two-run shot to center in the bottom of the third inning. The star first baseman snapped a nine-game homer drought with this long ball, but he still sits tied for sixth on the AL home-run leaderboard while tying Shea Langeliers (thumb) for the team lead. Kurtz is batting .269 with an excellent .966 OPS across 29 games since the beginning of June.

Garcia went 2-for-4 with a walk, two home runs and three RBI in Friday's 9-5 win over the Pirates.

The Nationals launched five homers in total on the night, with Garcia and Daylen Lile both going yard twice. Garcia's blasts came in the first inning off Mitch Keller and the seventh off Isaac Mattson, and the 26-year-old infielder has slugged a stunning nine home runs in last last 13 games, a surge that has seen him produce a .415/.478/1.148 slash line with 12 runs and 17 RBI. Garcia's 18 homers on the season in just 82 games have already tied his career high, and his 62 RBI tie him for third in the majors behind only the Athletics' Nick Kurtz (66) and the Cardinals' Jordan Walker (63).

Vargas went 3-for-5 with one RBI in Friday's 7-4 extra-innings loss to the Brewers.

Vargas started at first base against left-hander Kyle Harrison and delivered a good game. While Vargas remains a regular in the lineup versus southpaws, his playing time versus right-handers has been limited lately. He hit just .100 over 23 games in June to lose out on a starting role and will likely be limited to utility duties as long as Arizona's infield is mostly healthy. Vargas is hitting .263 with a .709 OPS, seven home runs, 45 RBI, 38 runs scored and a stolen base over 273 plate appearances this season.