MLB Player News

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.

Solak was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.

Solak was called up by Texas in mid-July and went 2-for-10 with a solo home run and a walk in seven games. The 27-year-old has a .208/.299/.338 slash line in 88 plate appearances this year. Brad Miller (neck) was activated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Miller (neck) was activated from the 10-day injured list and will bat ninth as the designated hitter Friday versus the White Sox.

Miller has been sidelined the past few weeks by a strained neck but will rejoin the active roster Friday after a five-game rehab assignment in the minors. The 32-year-old had a miserable .357 OPS over his last 21 games before landing on the injured list and may not regain a regular spot in the lineup.

Cabrera will sit Friday against the Rays.

Reports from Thursday indicated that Cabrera would be limited to starting every other game for at least the next week while he manages lingering knee pain. The Tigers appear to be sticking to that plan so far. Cabrera's production has dipped this year, as his .268/.317/.332 line is good for a career-worst 85 wRC+, but he's due $32 million next season, so he has a strong incentive to hold off on retirement for one more year. Victor Reyes will be the designated hitter Friday.

Brantley (shoulder) said Wednesday he hasn't swung a bat since landing on the 10-day injured list June 28 and is without a timeline to resume doing so, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. "I don't want to put a timetable on [swinging a bat] because then I don't know if it's pushing too hard or not pushing hard enough. It's literally day by day," Brantley said.

Brantley's lack of meaningful progress in his recovery from the injury may have influenced the Astros' decision to acquire Trey Mancini from the Orioles prior to Tuesday's trade deadline. The fact that Brantley hasn't yet been moved to the 60-day injured list offers some hope that he'll be back in action by the second half of August, but a clearer target date for his return won't be established until he begins to ramp up his baseball activities.

Ohtani (forearm) went 3-for-5 with a pair of solo home runs in Thursday's 8-7 loss to the Athletics.

After exiting late in Wednesday's 3-1 loss with a forearm cramp, Ohtani showed enough improvement overnight to fill his usual spot in the lineup for Thursday's series finale as the Angels' designated hitter. The two-way standout was responsible for two of the Angels' seven solo long balls on the day, as Los Angeles became the sixth team in MLB history to hit that many home runs and still lose. Ohtani, who is now up to 24 home runs on the season, looks like he'll be able to serve as the Angels' everyday designated hitter until his next turn on the mound comes up Tuesday in Oakland.

Cabrera will serve as the Tigers' designated hitter and No. 3 batter in Thursday's game against the Rays, but manager A.J. Hinch said the 39-year-old will start in every other game through the duration of the homestand while he manages lingering right knee pain, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Once the homestand concludes Aug. 11, Hinch said the Tigers' training and coaching staffs will meet with Cabrera to decide if he's ready to step back into an everyday role, or if he'll continue to require more frequent rest. Though Cabrera doesn't seem to be dealing with a major injury, it's clear the rigors of the long season is taking a toll on the future Hall of Famer, who is sitting on a career-worst .657 OPS for the campaign. To that end, Woodbery noted that Cabrera alluded to the possibility of retirement Thursday when he spoke to the media. Given that Cabrera is due $32 million in 2023 in the final season of his eight-year contract extension, the most likely outcome remains that he'll hold off on retiring for one more year.

Collins was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Collins spent over a month on the major-league roster but appeared in just four games and went 0-for-6 with two strikeouts. He'll head back to the minors with the Blue Jays activating their recent trade acquisitions.

Ohtani (forearm) will serve as the Angels' designated hitter and No. 2 batter in Thursday's game against the Athletics, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The Angels are facing a quick turnaround from Wednesday's 3-1 loss with Thursday's contest beginning at 4:07 p.m. ET, but Ohtani's inclusion in the lineup for the series finale implies that the forearm cramping he experiencing a night ago isn't a concern. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning of Wednesday's contest, but the move looks to have been mostly out of an abundance of caution. Ohtani will take a .253/.349/.491 slash line to go with 22 home runs and 11 stolen bases into Thursday's contest.