MLB Player News

Vargas went 1-for-3 with his third home run of the season in Sunday's loss to Boston.

He's been splitting time at designated hitter with Robbie Grossman, but Vargas got a start Sunday at first base. Vargas has been hot since he was called up from Triple-A Rochester (.294/.324/.588). Expect the Twins to continue to find ways to keep him in the lineup.

Brantley exited Sunday's game against the Royals early with a sprained right ankle, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Brantley was hitless in his two at-bats before being forced to exit the game in the fifth inning. The veteran outfielder has an injury-plagued past but is off to a healthy, productive start to the 2017 season. It'd be a big blow to the Indians if Brantley ends up on the disabled list, though the severity of the sprain is not yet known. We'll await further details from the Indians on that front.

Martinez (foot) will move his rehab assignment to Triple-A Toledo on Monday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Martinez had just started picking up reps in the outfield and is now ready to step up the level of competition after homering for High-A Lakeland on Saturday. According to manager Brad Ausmus, Martinez could be activated at some point during the upcoming four-game weekend series against the Angels. How he responds to Triple-A pitching will likely be a determining factor in his eventual return date.

Buxton (concussion) is back in the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton has missed back-to-back starts since being lifted from Thursday's game after a collision with the outfield wall, but he has passed concussion tests for multiple days and will now return to action. He'll bat eighth in the order for the series finale.

Martinez (foot) played seven innings in right field and went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's game with High-A Lakeland, Evan Woodbery of MLive reports.

Picking up playing time in the outfield was one of the final hurdles for Martinez, and it seems like everything went off without a hitch Saturday. The Tigers may opt to have their slugging right fielder play a couple more rehab games in the outfield just to get more exposure prior to a return to the big leagues, but a full return appears to be on the horizon. Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports that Detroit plans to have Martinez move his rehab assignment to Triple-A Toledo on Monday, after which a timetable for his return to the majors should become evident.

Buxton (head) said that he passed a concussion test for the third day in a row and was available off the bench Saturday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

While he passed the concussion test, he was still experiencing headaches, so he may not be out of the woods just yet. Consider him questionable for Sunday's series finale against the Red Sox.

Miller is starting at second base and hitting in the two-hole Saturday against the Blue Jays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

With Kevin Kiermaier dealing with a hand bruise and moved down to the eighth spot, Miller moves up from his regular role in the middle of the order. Perhaps the small change can spark a surge at the plate, where he is 2-for-15 over the past week with eight walks.

Soler is starting in right field and hitting seventh Saturday against the Indians, 610 Sports Radio reports.

He was activated from the 10-day DL earlier in the day after missing the first 28 games of the season with an oblique injury. Now that he is healthy, Soler figures to be the team's everyday right fielder going forward. He has a .258/.328/.434 slash line with a 27.6 percent strikeout rate and 27 home runs in 765 career plate appearances, and has an identical 106 wRC+ against righties and lefties. Soler has more raw power than he has shown in games thus far.

Soler (oblique) was reinstated from the 10-day DL on Saturday.

An oblique injury sidelined Soler for the first 28 games of the season, but it appears he is ready to return to action against Indians righty Josh Tomlin. The 10-18 Royals are likely going to have to embrace a rebuild at some point this season, and Soler is one of the few players who figures to be a building block for them going forward. He is under team control through the 2020 season, which should encompass the 25-year-old's prime years. Jorge Bonifacio is hitting .262/.326/.405 with an 11:4 K:BB in 42 at-bats, and will likely cede the everyday right field job to Soler, who has more power potential and a similarly fringe-average hit tool. Soler has a .258/.328/.434 slash line with a 27.6 percent strikeout rate and 27 home runs in 765 career plate appearances, and has an identical 106 wRC+ against righties and lefties. He has more raw power than he has shown in games thus far.

Buxton (undisclosed) is not in Saturday's starting lineup against the Red Sox, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports.

It will be the second consecutive game Buxton misses after he collided hard with an outfield wall in Thursday's loss. The young outfielder is reportedly doing much better after some minor headaches and plans to test it out by taking some swings and running on the field prior to Saturday's game. He could be available in a reserve role if needed, though the Twins will likely exercise caution with rushing him back to action. Max Kepler slides over to fill the void in center field.