Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna has played more than 10 big league seasons and the last six with the Braves, which gives him the right to veto any trade. However, Ozuna is "expected to approve any deal if the team guarantees him everyday playing time," according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The 34-year-old slugger is in the final year of his current contract and has lost playing time in recent weeks. Ozuna is hitting .232/.358/.384 with 13 home runs, 42 RBI, and 37 runs scored in 400 plate appearances. His 16.3% walk rate is by far the best of his career, but his barrel rate has fallen from 15.4% in 2024 to 10.8% this season. Ozuna is still a dangerous presence in any lineup, but his lack of defensive ability may limit his appeal on the trade market. A move to a contender where he will play every day and likely join a more potent lineup would improve his fantasy outlook.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is drawing serious interest from the San Diego Padres, Hector Gomez reports. Trade talks between the two teams "have intensified," according to Gomez, who adds that the Braves would receive right-handers Francis Pena and Ryan Bergert in exchange for Ozuna. It's no surprise that the out-of-contention Braves may part with the 34-year-old Ozuna, who has lost playing time recently amid a severe slump and isn't signed beyond this season. Ozuna has hit just .175 since the beginning of June, dropping his slash line to .235/.361/.390 with 13 home runs and 42 RBI in 394 plate appearances. Ozuna does carry a .373 xwOBA, though, so the Padres would bank on positive regression down the stretch. However, there's no guarantee Ozuna will end up going to the Padres or anyone else before the July 31 trade deadline. Because of his 10-and-5 rights, Ozuna can block a trade anywhere.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is back in the team's lineup for a game against the New York Yankees on Sunday. He's batting sixth versus right-hander Marcus Stroman. It'll be the first start since July 12 for Ozuna, though he did pinch-hit and strike out in a 12-9 loss on Saturday. The slumping 34-year-old has recently lost playing time to the catcher tandem of Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy. Baldwin is behind the plate and hitting cleanup Sunday, and Murphy is taking a seat. Ozuna owned an .883 OPS going into June, but he has hit just .182 in 37 games since then. His overall line of .238/.365/.395 with 13 home runs and 42 RBI in 390 plate appearances still checks in well above the league average. However, it's a far cry from the excellent production he logged from 2023-24.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is out of the lineup for the third straight game on Saturday against the New York Yankees. The Braves have opted to play catchers Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy in Ozuna's place at DH over the past few games. Baldwin will DH and bat fourth against Yankees right-hander Will Warren, while Murphy will catch and hit fifth. Ozuna simply hasn't produced over the past month and a half. Since June 1, the 34-year-old has hit .182 (24-for-132) with four home runs and 18 RBI. That slump has dropped Ozuna's line to .239/.366/.396 with 13 homers and 42 RBI over 389 plate appearances, but his .377 xwOBA suggests he's in line for a turnaround. That may come in another uniform with the July 31 trade deadline on the way.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna will start the second half of the season on the bench in Friday's series opener against the visiting New York Yankees. Sean Murphy is serving as the DH and is batting fifth, while rookie Drake Baldwin is doing the catching and hitting cleanup against Yankees right-handed opener Ian Hamilton. Ozuna has been out of Atlanta's lineup three times in the last four games as they look to give him a mental break at the midway point of the season. It's not ideal for one of the team's primary trade candidates on an expiring contract, but perhaps the Braves are hoping a little rest will get the 34-year-old veteran going in the weeks leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. Ozuna's power is down in 2025 and he's gone 5-for-31 (.161) with two long balls, a double, two RBI, two runs and five strikeouts in 10 games so far in July.

The Atlanta Braves are making designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, closer Raisel Iglesias and a few others available before the July 31 trade deadline, according to USA TODAY Sports' Bob Nightengale. However, the Braves don't have any intentions of trading any player under a multi-year contract, at least not until the offseason. Ozuna has 10-and-5 rights, which essentially gives him a full no-trade clause and allows him to reject any potential deal. Atlanta has dealt with all kinds of injuries to key players this year and have not been able to recover after a horrendous start in 2025, as they enter the All-Star break this week with a 42-53 record and in fourth place in the National League West (12.5 games out of first place). The 34-year-old Ozuna does have two homers in his last four games, but he also has a .577 OPS since the start of June as his power fades after hitting 79 homer the previous two seasons.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is not in the starting lineup on Sunday for his team's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Sean Murphy will get the start at DH in his place and bat fourth. Ozuna has had somewhat of a strange season so far in 2025. His 16.2% walk rate would be the best full-season mark of his career by a significant margin, but his .396 slugging percentage is 150 points lower than the .546 mark he posted in 2024. In totality, Ozuna is hitting .239 with 13 home runs, 42 RBI, and 37 runs scored in 388 plate appearances. His .483 xSLG suggests he'll provide fantasy managers with a better power output in the post-All-Star break portion of the season.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is showing signs of life at the plate, launching his 13th home run of the season in Saturday's 7-6 win over the Cardinals. Ozuna crushed a second-inning pitch from Erick Fedde 422 feet to left, highlighting a 2-for-4 day that also included an infield single. He's slashing .239/.364/.396 on the year, with his slugging percentage down 150 points from his 2024 All-Star campaign. A pair of homers heading into the break could spark a second-half turnaround for Ozuna. He remains a high-upside hold in all formats.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is not in the team's lineup Sunday versus the Baltimore Orioles. Drake Baldwin will take over at DH and bat sixth against Orioles left-hander Trevor Rogers. It's a rare day off for Ozuna, who has started all but three of Atlanta's 88 games this season. The 34-year-old slugger has been stuck in a severe slump over the past month-plus. In 31 games since June 1, Ozuna has hit .171 (20-for-117) with two home runs. He has been stuck on 11 homers for a 20-game span dating back to June 13.

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker said that Marcell Ozuna was cramping on Tuesday and should play on Wednesday. Even if his hip is no longer an issue, there's reason to at least occasionally sit him and have either Drake Baldwin or Sean Murphy fill the designated hitter role, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports. Ozuna played through some cramping in Tuesday's contest and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, and should continue to occupy the designated hitter role in the Braves' lineup on Wednesday. Snitker may be suggesting that it's possible Ozuna may sit occasionally moving forward, allowing others to be integrated into the lineup. On the season, Ozuna is slashing .244/.369/.392 with 11 home runs, 40 RBI, and 25 runs scored.

Atlanta Braves outfielder/designated hitter Marcell Ozuna had a .287 average and .922 OPS through the first 30 games of the season despite battling through a hip injury. However, he had only five home runs and 12 RBI with 29 walks through his first 30 games after totaling 79 homers and 204 RBI in the last two seasons. Since then, he's hit just .224 with six home runs and a .700 OPS in 46 games before Thursday's contest, but he said two weeks ago that his hip was no longer an issue. He does have 15 RBI in his last 22 games, but he's also had just one home run and five extra-base hits. Ozuna currently is in the 90th percentile in xwOBA and 81st percentile for hard-hit rate, so as long as he stays healthy, there should be some positive regression coming in the second half for a Braves team that has had its share of offensive struggles in 2025.

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna has been "included in a lot of trade speculation." Olney notes, however, that due to the veteran qualifying for 10-and-5 Rights, he'd be able to veto any trade set forth by the squad. Atlanta has their work cut out for them in the NL East with the Philadelphia Phillies up by double-digit games and the New York Mets right behind them in the standings. The Braves have a little more than a month to dig themselves out of their current hole and determine whether to sell or buy at the deadline. If Ozuna does find himself in new digs, it's hard to imagine he'll be in a better situation, lineup-wise, than he is now. He's regressed a bit this season while dealing with a hip tear, but still sports a solid .252/.385/.414 slash line with 11 homers.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna helped lead the club's offensive onslaught in a 12-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday. Ozuna came to the plate in the seventh inning in a 4-4 tie and slammed a three-run homer off right-hander Victor Vodnik to give the Braves the lead for good. He finished the night 1-for-4 with four RBI and a pair of strikeouts. Ozuna has just two HRs in a 19-game span, though he has been playing through a hip injury that may be sapping him of power.. The 34-year-old is still hitting a highly effective .257/.392/.430 with a career-best 17.8% walk rate in 286 plate appearances. However, with 11 homers and 34 RBI, Ozuna is well off the 40/100 pace he set in the previous two seasons. He'll face Rockies lefty Austin Gomber on Saturday. Ozuna has gone 3-for-7 against Gomber.

Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said that outfielder Marcell Ozuna (hip) has been playing through a hip injury that will need to be managed for the rest of the season. "It's one of those things he is going to have to manage and get to the offseason," Anthopoulos said. As things stand now, the 34-year-old veteran isn't going on the injured list, but the Braves could give him more frequent rest when it's warranted. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner has had a strong .284/.427/.474 slash line and .901 OPS in 55 games so far in 2025, including a league-high 48 walks, 10 home runs, 25 RBI and 27 runs scored for the Braves. Ozuna hasn't shown any signs of being affected by an injury as a hitter so far this year, but his production will be closely watched now. Fantasy managers should continue starting Ozuna as they normally would.

Atlanta Braves DH Marcell Ozuna had a productive game in an 8-7 loss to the Washington Nationals in 10 innings on Thursday. Ozuna went 3-for-4 with a homer, two runs, two RBI, and a walk, but it wasn't quite enough to knock off the Nationals. The veteran slugger is now hitting .278 with nine homers, 24 runs, and 24 RBI across 158 at-bats this season. Ozuna is showing signs of heating up, as he's hitting .320 with three homers and nine RBI over his past seven contests. He remains a prominent power hitter for fantasy leagues.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna went 2-for-4 with two singles in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds. The veteran also struck out twice. Ozuna is still getting on base at a strong clip, but he's slowed down power-wise over the last week or so, collecting just one extra-base hit in his previous nine games. While he doesn't boast the same gaudy pace he was on in 2024, the elite quality of contact metrics remains, as he bolsters well-above-average marks in that regard. The 34-year-old holds an absurd 20.8% walk rate -- the best in the league -- and has lowered his strikeout percentage to a palatable 21.5% (32:31 K:BB ratio). Look for the power to tick back up again soon.

The Atlanta Braves sent outfielder Marcell Ozuna (hip) back to Atlanta on Monday for an exploratory MRI exam on his injured hip, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Justin Toscano. The MRI showed inflammation but nothing serious, and Ozuna is considered day-to-day. While it seems that the 34-year-old veteran slugger has avoided a serious injury, he's expected to miss the entire three-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Atlanta has the day off on Thursday before returning home on Friday to start a weekend series against the Minnesota Twins. Fantasy managers will want to check back then to see if Ozuna is feeling good enough to return to the starting lineup. With Ozuna out on Monday, Bryan De La Cruz served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in the 8-4 victory.

Atlanta Braves outfielder/designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (leg) is out of the team's starting lineup on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center due to a minor leg injury. However, manager Brian Snitker isn't too concerned. Bryan De La Cruz will serve as the designated hitter and will bat fifth against Blue Jays left-hander Easton Lucas for the series opener. It's good news that Ozuna's injury doesn't sound very serious, but fantasy managers will need to pull him from their lineups on Monday and check back to see if he's available to play in Game 2 of the series in Canada on Tuesday. The 28-year-old De La Cruz should be avoided in DFS lineups for Monday's slate because of his slow start in 2025. The Dominican outfielder has gone just 8-for-39 (.205) with no home runs, a stolen base and 16 strikeouts in his 42 plate appearances over 13 games.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna was Thursday night's hero for the Braves, going 3-for-5 and hitting a two-run, walk-off home run in the 11th inning of the team's 4-1 win. Ozuna jumped on an 0-1 slider from Joe Ross and lined it 413 feet into the left-center field seats. The game didn't wrap up until almost 1:00 a.m. ET after a rain delay, but at least the fans who stayed went home happy after the Braves took two of three games from the Phillies and went 3-2 on their homestand after their disastrous road trip to start the season. Ozuna is hitting .316 (12-for-38) with two homers, seven RBI, 15 walks, and a .459 wOBA. He and the Braves will look to carry their momentum into their weekend series against the Rays in Tampa.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a single and a run scored in his team's 7-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. The veteran also walked and struck out once. It's taking Ozuna a bit to get going in 2025, as he's batting just .241 with two extra-base hits (one double, one homer) across his first 29 at-bats -- scoring seven runs and driving in five. Still, it's worth noting that he's walking 32.6% of the time, notching at least one base on balls in all but two of his appearances. The exit velocity numbers look good for the 34-year-old, as his 93.2 MPH exceeds his 2024 average of 92.1. It isn't time to panic just yet. Ozuna should begin to heat up along with the weather.