MLB Player News

Buxton is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.

Even though he received the day off in Friday's 6-5 win and served as a designated hitter in Saturday's 7-3 victory, Buxton will get another breather for the series finale. The Twins haven't indicated Buxton is still experiencing any lingering body soreness after he missed two straight games earlier in the week, so his absence from the lineup Sunday could simply be a precaution. Luis Arraez will serve as the Twins' DH on Sunday, while Gilberto Celestino gets a start in center field.

Cabrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.

Just as manager A.J. Hinch suggested would be the case when the Tigers began their homestand Thursday, Cabrera will be alternating starts with days off for the next week while he continues to manage a right knee issue. After going 1-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's 9-1 win, Cabrera will give way at designated hitter to Harold Castro in the series finale.

Winker is not in the lineup for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Angels.

Winker has handled lefties fairly well this season and was on base in all four plate appearances via a single and three walks during the first game of the twin bill, but he will get a breather with the Mariners loading up on right-handed hitters against Angels starter Reid Detmers. Kyle Lewis will get the nod in left field, which could become a more common occurrence with fellow outfielder Mitch Haniger back in action.

Reyes was designated for assignment by the Guardians on Saturday.

Reyes' prodigious power had been more than enough to offset his contact issues over his first four years in the league, but everything fell apart for him this season. In 70 games, he hit just .213/.254/.350 with nine homers as his strikeout rate jumped to an untenable 37.1 percent. He lost his spot on the active roster Tuesday and will be removed from the 40-man roster four days later, though his past success could make him an interesting reclamation project for a different organization.

Jimenez went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Friday against the Rangers.

Jimenez led off the fourth inning with his sixth homer of the season. Since the All-Star break, Jimenez has hit .422 with four long balls, eight RBI and eight runs scored across 12 games. Though he's been limited to only 119 plate appearances this season, Jimenez is slashing .288/.319/.477.

Lewis is not in the lineup for the afternoon portion of Saturday's doubleheader against the Angels.

Lewis finds himself on the bench for the second game in a row, though his fragile health track record means the Mariners were never likely to ask him to start both halves of Saturday's twin bill. Ty France will rest his legs as the designated hitter in Lewis' absence.

Martinez batted sixth and went 1-for-5 with a two-run double in Friday's 7-4 win over the Royals.

Martinez, who went 3-for-34 (.088) in his first nine games following the All-Star break, was dropped to sixth in the order. It was the first time he's batted as low as sixth since May 16, 2017, when he was with the Tigers. It's been a down year for the slumping slugger, who has just nine home runs and 42 RBI through 91 games -- well off the pace of his 162-game average of 33 and 105.

Miller went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Friday's 2-1 loss to the White Sox.

Miller spent the last two weeks on the injured list with a neck strain and returns without an obvious home for consistent playing time. The lefty-hitter has been a regular against right-handers in left field, at third base or as a designated hitter, but a .591 OPS against them doesn't support his continued use as a platoon partner. The Rangers have recently called up younger talent, like Josh Smith, Elier Hernandez, Bubba Thompson and Ezequiel Duran, who could limit Miller to a utility bench role.

Buxton is not in Friday's lineup against the Blue Jays.

It seems that Buxton hasn't been 100 percent healthy since early in the season, and the Twins' approach has been to give him strategic rest days to manage his persistent lower-body issues. He is slashing .197/.281/.478 with 17 home runs and two steals in his last 62 games. Mark Contreras is starting in center field and batting eighth.

Lewis is not in Friday's lineup against the Angels.

Lewis is hitting .111 with one home run, 13 strikeouts and five walks in 12 games since coming off the injured list. Adam Frazier will start in right field while Abraham Toro starts at the keystone.