MLB Player News

Brantley is away from the Indians because his wife is delivering their child in the near future, Zach Meisel of Cleveland.com reports.

This explains why he's not in Thursday's lineup. If Brantley has to be placed on the paternity list, Daniel Robertson could see more reps in the outfield over the weekend. Brantley owners should stay tuned to his status before locking him into weekend lineups.

Brantley is not in the Indians' lineup Thursday, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

It appears to be a mere day of rest. Brantley has restored the reliable floor he established before his injury-plagued 2016 season, hitting .296/.360/.432 with five home runs and seven stolen bases in 228 plate appearances. He'll give way to Daniel Robertson in left field.

Buxton went 3-for-3 with a double, a solo homer, a walk and two steals in Wednesday's loss to Seattle.

You certainly can't pin this loss on the young center fielder, who did everything he could to carry his offense from the eighth spot in the batting order. Unfortunately, such nights have been rare for Buxton -- over a 17-game stretch prior to Wednesday, he hit just .226/.255/.321 with a single homer, five RBI and four runs. Those are fantasy-team-killing numbers; with that in mind, it's best to stash him on the bench in most fantasy formats until he shows signs of hitting consistently.

Soler hit a two-out, walk-off grand slam one inning after his two-run homer tied the game in the ninth inning Sunday for Triple-A Omaha.

Since rejoining the Storm Chasers on June 5, Soler has just seven hits in 34 at-bats (.206). However, five of those connections have been home runs, and he's notched 12 RBI over the nine-game stretch. His MLB career is on hold for now, but that may change if Kansas City becomes active in the trade market before the July 31 deadline.

Martinez went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Martinez took Zack Greinke deep in the sixth inning. The 29-year-old's power pace has slowed somewhat after a ridiculous stretch right when he returned from a foot injury in mid-May, but Martinez is still one of the premier options across all of fantasy baseball in terms of racking up counting stats.

Vargas went 4-for-6 (all singles) with two RBI and four runs in Tuesday's 20-7 win over Seattle. He's now hitting .271 with a .774 OPS.

Vargas had been 2-for-12 with a home run in his previous four games since being recalled from the minors. He should continue to split the DH role with Robbie Grossman, though he'll likely sit against lefties (.191 OPS against left-handed pitching before Tuesday).

Goins will man the strong side of a platoon alongside Darwin Barney while Devon Travis (knee) is sidelined, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Travis is expected to be out a while, so Goins seems to be in line for plenty of playing time. That being said, he's hitting just .210 on the season, so even with the expanded playing time, there's not much here to get excited about.

Buxton is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Mariners, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

Buxton continues to scuffle at the plate, averaging a strikeout per game in the past 30 contests. He'll hit the bench for a night off, forcing the Twins to deploy an outfield of Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler and Robbie Grossman.

Buxton went 2-for-4 with his third home run in Sunday's loss at San Francisco.

Buxton had been scuffling with just a .429 OPS in June before Sunday. After a terrible April (.433 OPS), he posted a .701 OPS in May, so there's still hope he can improve in June.

Vargas started at first base and went 1-for-3 with his sixth home run in Saturday's win at San Francisco. His home run traveled 471 feet, the third-longest home run in the majors this season, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Vargas had been hitting well before he was sent to the minors in late May. His demotion was likely due to him being a non-essential Twins player with minor-league options, and with the Twins needing bullpen help. His home run Saturday should keep help keep him in the majors and trading the DH spot with Robbie Grossman.