MLB Player News

Vargas started at second base Saturday in place of the injured Ketel Marte (knee) and went 1-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in a 10-3 win over Atlanta.

Vargas finsihed off the scoring with a three-run shot in the top of the ninth inning. He replaced Marte in Friday's game, when the latter was removed in the second inning, and filled in for him again a day later. Marte was considered a game-time decision Saturday, so this may not lead to a sizeable opportunity for Vargas. The homer was his eighth of the season, a career high, but his first since May 12.

Millas (finger) completed throwing from 90 feet, took dry swings on each side of the plate and hit off a tee approximately 20 times from each side during a comprehensive workout Friday, MLB.com reports.

The switch-hitting catcher is on the mend from an index finger fracture on his left (non-throwing) hand, which has kept him on the shelf since July 15. Since the All-Star break, Harry Ford has been filling in for Millas as the Nationals' No. 2 catcher behind Keibert Ruiz, with Ford having thus far submitted a .774 OPS over 55 plate appearances. Though Millas looks to be progressing in his recovery and may soon head out on a rehab assignment, he could be optioned to Triple-A Rochester or settle for the third spot on the depth chart with Washington once he's brought back from the injured list.

Sommers (0-3) allowed one run on two hits in two innings of relief and was charged with the loss in Saturday's 4-3 defeat to the White Sox. He walked one and struck out four.

The lefty reliever pitched decently but was charged with a tough-luck loss, taking the mound after starter Troy Melton covered just 4.1 innings. Sommers has been asked to log only 22 frames so far this season in the majors, but he's mostly been sharp despite his winless record with a 3.68 ERA and 34 strikeouts. He doesn't have a ton of fantasy appeal at the moment, however, given his lower-leverage role in Detroit's bullpen.

Valencia went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the White Sox.

While he's stuck behind Dillon Dingler on the depth chart, Valencia has managed to carve out some standalone fantasy value with his bat. The 26-year-old rookie has gone deep twice in his last three games and has six home runs overall through 18 contests to go along with a robust 1.291 OPS. Dingler has been excellent in his own right, so Valencia is highly unlikely to surpass him as Detroit's top catcher anytime soon. The Tigers could find more opportunities to get both sluggers into the lineup by using one as the DH, however.

Conforto went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 8-4 loss to the Cardinals.

Conforto took St. Louis starter Michael McGreevy deep in the second inning with two runners on, giving him 10 long balls and 30 RBI through 81 games this season. The veteran outfielder is still seeing occasional playing time against right-handed pitching, but Chicago's addition of Tyrone Taylor before the trade deadline has added more depth to the outfield, which has cut into Conforto's role. He'll have reduced fantasy appeal unless there's an injury that pushes him into the lineup more regularly.

Contreras went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional run scored in Saturday's 4-1 victory versus the Dodgers.

Contreras entered Saturday having gone 0-for-20 over his previous six games, so he was sorely in need of a positive performance. The veteran catcher produced just that, with his biggest knock being a two-run homer in the fourth inning for the game's final runs. Contreras is having a pretty quiet campaign with a modest 12 home runs through 115 games, though he has knocked in a healthy 61 runs and scored 59 times. Still, his .711 OPS would be his worst mark since 2021, when he played in just 52 regular-season contests as a rookie with Atlanta.

Wrobleski (11-5) yielded four runs on four hits and one walk while striking out six batters over six innings in a loss to Milwaukee on Saturday.

Wrobleski was mostly effective, racking up 15 whiffs on 107 pitches and allowing as many baserunners as innings pitched (six). However, two of the hits he allowed left the park, and both were two-run shots. Wrobleski has now given up 11 home runs over 19.2 innings across his past four starts while taking three losses during that span. He made his first career All-Star team on the strength of a 2.69 first-half ERA, but that number has increased by nearly a run (to 3.56) due to what has been a rough second half. On most staffs, Wrobleski's impressive pre-break performance would be enough to keep him comfortably in a starting role despite his recent struggles, but that's not a guarantee with the Dodgers. With Blake Snell recently returning from injury, Tyler Glasnow (back) nearing activation from the IL, Shohei Ohtani throwing bullpens as he looks to return to the rotation and Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki and Eric Lauer all healthy, there is a chance Wrobleski ultimately gets squeezed.

Ashby recorded a save against the Dodgers on Saturday, walking one batter and striking out two over two hitless and scoreless innings.

Ashby entered to begin the eighth inning with Milwaukee up 4-1. He retired the side in order on 17 pitches and returned for the ninth, when he worked around a two-out walk and subsequent fielding error to finish off the save. It was Ashby's first save of the season, as he's instead been busy racking up victories -- his 13 wins lead MLB relievers and are tied for fourth in the league overall. Ashby has managed that total despite an underwhelming 3.42 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, though he has an impressive 97 punchouts through 68.1 innings and has been scored upon in just one outing (albeit in a five-run blowup) over his past 12 appearances.

Misiorowski (12-5) earned the win over the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk while striking out six batters over six innings.

Misiorowski set the tone quickly, leading off his outing by firing six straight fastballs of over 102 mph to Shohei Ohtani, who ultimately popped out. Ohtani got some revenge with an RBI triple in the third, but that was the only run Misiorowski ended up allowing. The All-Star hurler finished with a modest (for him) six punchouts, but not for a lack of swing-and-miss stuff -- he induced 17 whiffs over 98 total pitches. Misiorowski has now logged three consecutive quality starts, though this was his first victory during that span. He continues to lead qualified MLB pitchers by wide margins with a sterling 1.75 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 210 punchouts to further strengthen his already-strong case for his first Cy Young Award.

Acuna went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the Diamondbacks on Saturday.

Acuna helped Atlanta get off to a nice start with a 429-foot solo blast to center field to lead off his team's half of the first inning. However, Arizona stormed back to log a blowout win. Acuna nonetheless bounced back after going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the opening game of the series Friday. He's up to 13 home runs on the season, with five of those long balls coming across his first 13 contests in August.