MLB Player News

Cabrera (back) is out of the lineup Sunday against the Twins.

The Tigers had previously labeled Cabrera as doubtful to suit up in the series finale after lower-back tightness prompted his early exit in Saturday's contest, so his absence Sunday isn't surprising. John Hicks will enter the lineup at first base and bat fifth, but it's unclear if he'll pick up any further starts in the games to follow. Cabrera should be viewed as day-to-day and could return to action as soon as Monday against the Rangers if his back shows improvement.

Cabrera (back) is doubtful for Sunday's game against the Twins, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The back/hip issue that forced him from Saturday's game is on the other side of his body than the similar issue that plagued him at the start of the season. Cabrera was in a major funk at the plate prior to the injury, slashing .219/.280/.313 in 96 at-bats since the All-Star break. John Hicks would be the likely starter at first base if Cabrera does indeed sit for the series finale.

Buxton went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI on Saturday against the Tigers.

Buxton's sixth bomb of the campaign broke up a 5-5 game, but the Twins would eventually lose the contest. Although his numbers at the plate had been abysmal this year, his 19 steals are what have been providing his fantasy value.

Cabrera left Saturday's game against the Twins with lower-back tightness and is day-to-day.

He was 1-for-3 before exiting and was replaced at first base by John Hicks. Cabrera has dealt with back, hip and groin tightness already this season, as it appears that age is starting to catch up with him from a physical standpoint. He is hitting .219 with two home runs in 96 at-bats since the All-Star break.

Canha was optioned back to Triple-A Nashville on Friday.

It was a short stint with the Athletics for Canha, who was called up August 2. The decision to send him down wasn't due to lack of production, as Canha had been seeing the ball well during his time with Oakland and hitting to the tune of a .313 average over five games. Regardless, the Athletics decided to stick with Matt Olson at first over Canha, who's hit .271 with four home runs at Triple-A this season.

Buxton went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI Thursday in Milwaukee.

Buxton hit RBI singles in the second and third innings while coming around to score on both occasions. He added another hit in the fifth to turn this into his fourth three-hit performance of the season. Buxton has exactly one of those in every month since May.

Miller went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run Wednesday against the Red Sox.

Miller's solo shot off Rick Porcello was just his fifth long ball of the year, as his production has fallen off a cliff after last year's career-best 30-homer performance. His previous high in a season was 11, so Miller's disappointing .205/.344/.336 line makes a lot more sense in that context.

Vargas was optioned to Triple-A Rochester following Wednesday's game against the Brewers, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Vargas was only with the big club for one game before being sent back to Rochester to clear room for Thursday's starter, Dietrich Enns. The 27-year-old owns a .244/.291/.432 slash line with eight homers in 176 at-bats for the Twins this season. He'll likely be back in the majors again sometime before the season ends.

Vargas was recalled by the Twins on Wednesday, Brandon Warne of ZoneCoverage.com reports.

He takes the roster spot of Adalberto Mejia, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left arm strain Tuesday. Vargas has had hot stretches in the big leagues this season, but wasn't able to carve out an everyday role en route to hitting .244/.291/.432 before being sent down to Triple-A Rochester. The slugger hasn't fared much better in the minors, batting .221 with eight home runs over 42 games, but could provide a power threat at the designated hitter spot, as the Twins rank 23rd in home runs this year.

Brantley was placed on the 10-day disabled list Wednesday with a sprained right ankle, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

The All-Star outfielder heads to the DL with a right ankle injury for the second time in the last two months, though trainers have already deemed the sprain to be a mild one, so he could be back as soon as next weekend's series in Kansas City. Brantley, who suffered the sprain during Tuesday's game against the Rockies, is hitting .282 with 15 RBI since the All-Star break and likely gives way to Brandon Guyer or Abraham Almonte while he remains sidelined. Erik Gonzalez, another outfield option, was recalled from Triple-A to take his spot on the active roster.