MLB Player News

Cabrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Indians, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Even though his last 10 starts have come as a designated hitter, Cabrera will still be subject to a maintenance day every now and then while he continues to tend to a sore right knee. Manager Ron Gardenhire said a few days ago that Cabrera wouldn't play first base again this season, but the skipper rowed back those comments Sunday, per Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic. While it sounds like Cabrera will see the overwhelming share of his duties at DH moving forward, Gardenhire said the Tigers have discussed playing the veteran at first base for the team's two-game interleague series in Pittsburgh during the upcoming week. The prospect of Cabrera seeing action for one or both of the contests in Pittsburgh may make him a more appealing fantasy lineup option than originally thought, though the Tigers will still only play five games in total for the week.

Cabrera went 3-for-4 with a double in Saturday's 4-2 loss to Cleveland.

Cabrera continues to hit well but not rack up great counting stats. The veteran is slashing .294/.357/.394, though he has just four home runs, 17 runs scored and 29 RBI through 64 games. Cabrera seems to be settling in more as a singles hitter than a power bat at age 36. He's also been hampered by a relatively weak lineup around him, which has limited his opportunities for runs and RBI. Cabrera still has some fantasy value, but he shouldn't be expected to produce like he did in his MVP-caliber years earlier this decade.

Martinez went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Saturday's 7-2 win over Baltimore.

It was the third straight game with a homer for Martinez, who now has 16 through 62 games. He was rested for last weekend's four-game set against the Rays with recurring back spasms and has been on fire since getting back in the lineup. He's slashed .375/.464/.958 with four home runs, two doubles and six RBI in the last six games.

Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a solo home run in a 7-2 victory over the Blue Jays on Saturday.

The 21-year-old couldn't have asked for a better start to his major-league career. He has four home runs in his first five games, and Alvarez has gone 3-for-4 in both of his last two contests. Alvarez is slashing .471/.609/1.176 with eight RBI and eight runs in 23 plate appearances in the bigs.

Buxton (wrist) is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Royals, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Buxton left Friday's contest after getting hit by a pitch in the wrist. He avoided serious injury but will get at least one day to rest. Max Kepler slides over to center field in his absence, with Marwin Gonzalez starting in right.

Jimenez went 3-for-5 with two home runs, three runs scored and six RBI in Friday's 10-2 win over the Yankees.

He tagged CC Sabathia in the first inning and Luis Cessa in the sixth, giving Jimenez 11 homers on the year, including five in the last six games. The surge has pushed his slash line to .247/.303/.488 over 44 contests, but better days should be ahead for his batting average, as he's hitting .340 (17-for-50) over his last 14 games.

Alvarez went 3-for-4 with a walk, a home run, three runs scored and three RBI in Friday's 15-2 rout of the Blue Jays.

The 21-year-old continues to have little trouble with big-league pitching. Alvarez has gone yard in three of his first four games and drawn at least one walk in all four, compiling a ridiculous .385/.579/1.077 slash line since his promotion. He'll slow down sooner or later of course, but fantasy GMs who paid top dollar in FAAB for the rookie have been amply rewarded so far.

Choi went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and two runs in a 9-4 victory against the Angels on Friday.

The 28-year-old entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning and received three at-bats. He singled during his first plate appearance in the sixth and then homered the next inning. Choi has eight home runs, three of which have come in his last seven games. He is also batting .287 with 18 extra-base hits, 27 RBI, 25 runs and one steal in 195 at-bats this season.

Martinez went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and two walks in Friday's win over the Orioles.

Martinez slugged a two-run homer in the fourth inning and left the yard again in the fifth. The 31-year-old slugger has homered in back-to-back contests and now sits with 15 long balls over 62 games this season.

Cabrera went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's loss to the Indians.

Cabrera left the yard in the second inning to cut the deficit to one run, but the Indians would pull away for a 13-4 victory. While Cabrera has been shut down from playing the field in 2019 due to a right knee issue, he showed Friday night that he still has some pop left in his bat.