MLB Player News

Vargas was optioned to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

The Twins will send Vargas to the minor leagues in order to open up a 25-man roster spot for Tuesday's scheduled starter, Bartolo Colon. Vargas currently holds a .244 average with eight home runs and 30 RBI in 176 at-bats this season. He'll likely rejoin the big-league club in the not-so-distant future.

Martinez was removed from Monday's game against the Royals with lower back tightness.

The Tigers are calling Martinez's removal "precautionary," so it appears that the star right fielder isn't dealing with anything serious. He'll be listed as day-to-day, though it wouldn't be surprising to see him back in the starting lineup Tuesday.

Martinez was removed from Monday's game against the Royals in the sixth inning, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The reason for Martinez's early removal is not yet known, as the outfielder did not appear to suffer any sort of injury before being replaced by Alex Presley. Martinez has been the subject of trade rumors lately, so it's possible that the 29-year-old is on the move, but no word has come down on that front.

Choi is out of the lineup Monday against the Twins, Pete Caldera of The Record reports.

Unless the Yankees add a first baseman via trade prior to the deadline, it looks like Choi and Garrett Cooper will work in a platoon at the position. As the left-handed hitter of the two, Choi stands to see the larger portion of the at-bats, but with the Yankees facing a fourth lefty starter in five games, the 26-year-old will hit the bench once again.

Goins is out of the lineup Monday against the Red Sox.

Since Devon Travis (knee) hit the disabled list, Goins has settled into the strong side of a platoon at second base with Darwin Barney. It will be Goins' turn to sit out Monday with the Red Sox starting a lefty in Eduardo Rodriguez.

Soler was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Monday, Joel Goldberg of Fox Sports Kansas City reports.

Soler was unable to parlay his success in the Pacific Coast League into an everyday role with the Royals during his latest stint with the big club, as he had picked up just three starts over the Royals' last eight contests. He went 0-for-12 at the plate during that stretch to drop his season average to .154. Alex Gordon (.192 average over 311 plate appearances) hasn't provided much of an impact as the Royals' primary left fielder, so if he fails to show improvement in the coming weeks and Soler starts raking again at Omaha, the 25-year-old could soon be in line for another promotion.

Martinez went 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk and two RBI in Sunday's win over the Blue Jays.

Martinez's eighth-inning solo shot tied the game, and the Tigers would go on to win in extra innings. The 29-year-old slugger now has 16 home runs in just 198 at-bats this season, and he should remain one of the strongest hitters in fantasy baseball so long as he stays healthy.

Vargas went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's loss to the Astros.

Vargas opened the scoring in the second inning with his eighth long ball of the season, but Houston promptly tied the game in the bottom of the frame and ended up pulling away for good by the end of the fourth. The first baseman's .247/.290/.437 line is just about in line with his career output of .250/.305/.431.

Vargas (foot) will start at first base and bat fifth Sunday against the Astros, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Vargas was sidelined for only one game with the foot contusion, which he sustained during Friday's series opener. Though he'll draw a starting nod Sunday, Vargas will likely find himself on the bench more often than not following Joe Mauer's (back) reinstatement from the 10-day disabled list Saturday.

Choi will start at first base and bat eighth in the first game of the doubleheader Sunday against the Red Sox.

The newly acquired Garrett Cooper started at first base during the first two games of the series, but that was likely a result of the Red Sox bringing a pair of lefties to the hill in Drew Pomeranz and Chris Sale. The lefty-hitting Choi still looks like he'll occupy the larger side of a platoon. Although he'll be back in the lineup for Game 1, he'll likely sit out the second half of the twin bill with southpaw David Price on the hill for Boston.