MLB Player News

Buxton (undisclosed) is not in the lineup Friday against the Red Sox, Brandon Warne of Zone Coverage reports.

Buxton was removed from Thursday's contest prematurely following a hard collision with the wall. He was able to pass the concussion protocol following his exit, though the Twins are likely holding him out for precautionary reasons. He should be considered day-to-day for now, while more should be known about his status once the Twins provide more information.

Miller is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays.

Daniel Robertson will start at second base. Considering that the Rays will be facing Francisco Liriano, who is known to be a reverse-splits pitcher, it makes sense that they opted for the left-handed-hitting Robertson for Friday's game.

Martinez (foot) is tentatively scheduled to play right field for High-A Lakeland on Saturday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Everything will depend on how Martinez feels coming out of his first rehab game with Lakeland on Friday (in which he'll serve as the DH), but a return to the outfield appears imminent. Playing the outfield and playing the outfield on back-to-back days are probably the final hurdles for Martinez, who is working his way back from a sprained lisfranc ligament in his right foot. He has been logging at-bats in extended spring training over the past week or so.

Martinez (foot) is set to begin a rehab assignment with High-A Lakeland on Friday.

During a Monday DH appearance for extended spring training, Martinez fouled a ball off his left foot -- not his injured right foot -- but X-rays were negative. This upcoming assignment is a positive step for the outfielder, who will rejoin the major-league club sometime next week if all goes well.

Buxton (undisclosed) was removed from Thursday's contest for precautionary reasons and will be re-evaluated Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The young center fielder went through the concussion protocol following his exit, and after going through the program without a hitch, the Twins are considering him day-to-day. No word about his availability Friday has been revealed, but more information should become available following his upcoming evaluation.

Buxton exited in the fifth inning of Thursday's contest with the Athletics after running into the center field wall while making a catch, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear if his removal was injury-related or not, but it's certainly not good to see something like this happen just when the former top prospect was finally getting comfortable in the batter's box. Buxton's status should become clearer after the game's conclusion, but in the meantime, Eddie Rosario will slide over to center field to fill the void while Max Kepler rounds out the outfield.

Vargas went 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBI in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the A's.

He supplied all the offense the Twins would need in this one, bringing home two runs with a bases-loaded single in the first inning and then launching a three-run shot off Kendall Graveman in the third. Vargas is now slashing .364/.417/.636 through six games since being called up.

Martinez (foot) has not played defense during his rehab, the Detroit Free Press' Anthony Fenech reports.

While Martinez may be nearing a return soon, he will need at least some defensive reps before rejoining the Tigers. The 29-year-old suffered a minor setback Tuesday after fouling a ball off the (other) foot in an extended spring training game.

Cabrera (groin) is starting at first base and hitting third Wednesday against the Indians.

He was removed from Tuesday's game with groin tightness, the same injury that landed him on the DL recently, but it was apparently a minor issue and he won't miss further time. Cabrera homered before leaving Tuesday's game, and is hitting .267/.362/.500 with four home runs in 60 at-bats this season.

Miller drew four walks and scored once in five plate appearances during Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Marlins.

Despite an uninspiring .217 average, Miller's OBP is now .374 following Tuesday's season-high four walks. The 27-year-old's walk rate has spiked to 20 percent this season after not having ever been in double digits in any of his previous four big-league campaigns, helping offset a five-percent drop in contact rate. While his current power drought is concerning (one home run over 115 plate appearances after a career-high 30 last season), a breakout may be imminent for Miller, considering his 38.1 percent hard contact rate is the highest of his career.