MLB Player News

Brantley (shoulder) will start in left field in Monday's Cactus League game against the Dodgers, Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports.

It will be the Cactus League debut for Brantley, who has been eased along slowly in his return from shoulder surgery. After appearing in minor-league games last week without any apparent issues, Brantley will move up to the big club. He'll likely get in extensive at-bats over the next two weeks as he prepares for the April 3 season opener against the Rangers.

Colon (hand) will start at shortstop and bat seventh in the order for Sunday's Cactus League game against the Cubs, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Colon was removed from a game Wednesday after jamming his right middle finger, but after going 2-of-2 at the dish Friday and Saturday and remaining in the lineup again Sunday, it appears he's feeling just fine. The 27-year-old has enjoyed a strong spring, but with his competitors for the starting second base job, Raul Mondesi and Whit Merrifield, also performing well in Cactus League play, he hasn't created much separation in the job battle.

The Tigers received MRI results on Martinez's sprained right foot, but won't disclose the details until the outfielder receives a second opinion from a specialist, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Martinez first suffered the mid-foot sprain while making a catch in the outfield during Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins. While X-rays on the foot have already come back negative, the Tigers aren't likely to issue an update on a potential return date until the results of the MRI are announced. With Opening Day still a little over two weeks away, Martinez will still have some time to heal up before the season begins, but if he's forced to hit the DL, some combination of Steven Moya, Mikie Mahtook and JaCoby Jones would likely make starts in his stead.

Brantley (shoulder) is expected to start in left field Monday against the Dodgers

Coming off an injury-plagued 2016 campaign, Brantley has spent this year's spring training stint rehabbing his injured shoulder. Monday's return to action will mark Brantley's major league spring training debut and puts him in line to be ready for Opening Day.

Vargas went 2-for-5 with a home run for Puerto Rico in Sunday's win over Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic.

Vargas hadn't played much before Sunday with just three at-bats in the WBC. He was just 1-for-13 in MLB spring training before leaving for the tournament. Vargas was the leading candidate for the starting DH job in Minnesota as spring training began, but he's struggled while Byungho Park has been hot (hitting .357 with three home runs). The battle for Minnesota's starting DH job will likely be decided late in spring training once Vargas returns from the WBC. Vargas' homer shows he won't be easily unseated.

Martinez (foot) is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Sunday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Martinez was an early exit from Saturday's exhibition matchup after he appeared to suffer a leg injury while playing the field, which was later classified as a right foot sprain. The Tigers aren't taking any chances with the 29-year-old outfielder, who has tallied 83 home runs over the last three seasons. Look for more information to follow once the results come in, but don't expect Martinez to return to a regular workload for at least a few days.

Martinez has been diagnosed with a mid right foot sprain and is set to be reevaluated Sunday.

X-rays came back negative on Martinez's foot, but there won't be an offical timetable for his return until team doctors re-examine him later in the weekend. Martinez exited Saturday's game after making a running catch and was seen favoring his right leg on his way into the dugout. Tyler Collins and Steven Moya stand to see more playing time in right field while Martinez is sidelined.

Martinez exited Saturday's game with an apparent leg injury, MLB.com's Jason Beck reports.

Martinez appeared to injure his leg making a play in the field in the first inning of Saturday's contest. According to Beck, Martinez charged for a fly ball and hobbled to the dugout after making the catch. Alex Presley has come on to replace Martinez in the lineup. More information on Martinez's status should be available later in Saturday's game.

Vargas has just three at-bats for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic and was just 1-for-13 in MLB spring training before leaving for the tournament.

Vargas was the leading candidate for the starting DH job in Minnesota as spring training began, but he's struggled while Byungho Park has been hot (hitting .357 with three home runs). Still, it's probably too early in the spring to read too much into the competition since Vargas has hardly played (surprisingly losing playing time with Puerto Rico to T. J. Rivera). The battle for Minnesota's starting DH job will likely be decided late in spring training once Vargas returns from the WBC.

Brantley (shoulder) will play in a minor league game Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

After two days off, Brantley will test his shoulder out again for five innings. Cleveland is taking it slowly with Brantley, but he is on pace to get back into Cactus League action before spring training ends, and as such there's a good chance Brantley suits up for Cleveland on Opening Day.