Marcell Ozuna News: Sitting again, trade brewing

Ozuna is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.

With Ozuna maintaining a lowly .562 OPS since June 1, Atlanta looks to be viewing him as a reserve bat at this point. He'll be on the bench for the fifth time in six games since the All-Star break, with manager Brian Snitker electing to use one of Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy at designated hitter while the other catches. Rather than regaining his role as Atlanta's regular DH, Ozuna looks more likely to be playing elsewhere by the time the July 31 trade deadline passes. Hector Gomez of Z101Digital.com reported late Tuesday that trade talks between Atlanta and San Diego have "intensified," with the Padres said to be "very interested" in acquiring the three-time All-Star.