MLB Player News

Miller is out of Sunday's lineup against the Rangers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Richie Shaffer will head to first base while Miller sits out of Sunday's game. Miller's performance has left much to be desired as of late, as he's gone just 2-for-24 (.083) with nine strikeouts over the last seven games.

Buxton went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, a walk and three runs in Saturday's win over the White Sox.

After hitting just .193 with one homer in his first 63 games this year, Buxton's finishing the season strong by batting .277 with seven homers, 18 RBI and a .936 OPS in September. At just 22 years old, the former phenom still has time to significantly change from the struggle his first two years have been overall. He showed good isolated power this year (with eight homers in under 300 at-bats), but still needs to improve extremely low contact and walk rates, and a high strikeout rate. A promotion to the top part of the lineup would help Buxton's outlook next year -- perhaps he'll get that after his strong finish this year.

Vargas went 2-for-5 with his tenth home run of the season in Thursday's win over Kansas City.

Vargas has quietly had a productive season when he's been able to find playing time with a .897 OPS in 44 games. It's been hard for him to find consistent playing time with a logjam of players at first base and DH for the Twins. That's hopefully a situation that will be resolved when a new Twins GM is hired in the offseason, which could finally give Vargas a path to steady at-bats in the majors.

Buxton went 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk in Thursday's win over Kansas City.

Buxton is hitting .286/.343/.615 with seven home runs and two triples in September. It looks like he's finally figured out how to hit in the majors after hitting .193 with a .561 OPS before September. It's just one month, but his display of power could foreshadow a breakout season in 2017.

Brantley, who had shoulder surgery a month ago, could miss significant time next season, Fanrag Sports' Jon Heyman reports.

Per Heyman's report, Brantley's shoulder muscle was re-anchored to the bone -- a serious procedure that could cost him more time than initially believed. In response to Heyman's report, Brantley said, "maybe (Heyman) knows something I don't," according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The Indians maintain that the expected recovery time is four months, which would mean Brantley would be ready for spring training. This is a murky situation that should continue to develop during the offseason, but those who own Brantley in keeper leagues should be aware that he may not be ready for Opening Day next year.

Cabrera (knee) remains in the lineup Thursday, hitting third and manning first base against the Indians.

He hit a home run and narrowly missed hitting a second big fly in Wednesday's rain-shortened game. While manager Brad Ausmus admitted after the game that Cabrera is hobbled by a knee issue, it seems unlikely he will miss time as long as the Tigers stay in the postseason hunt. They enter Thursday one game back of the Orioles in the chase for the second wild-card spot in the American League.

Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's game against Cleveland.

Cabrera thought his first-inning drive was gone, only to watch it hit off the wall. His fifth-inning drive, on the other hand, had little doubt, a classic Cabrera opposite-field swing toward the right-field corner. The slugger's 36th home run of the season was his 306th as a Tiger, tying him with Hank Greenberg for third in franchise history. It wound up being a game-winning deep fly as the game would end after five innings due to rain. Cabrera is hitting .400 with 14 RBI and three home runs over his last 11 games to help the Tigers stay in the playoff hunt.

Manager Brad Ausmus indicated after Wednesday's game that Cabrera is hobbled by a "contusion" and has "got some fluid in his knee, so it's going to be sore sometimes," Matthew B. Mowery of the Oakland Press reports.

Cabrera's injury doesn't appear to be anything serious and he played the entire game (rain shortened it to five innings). Given the Tigers' current battle for a playoff spot, it would likely require a lot for the veteran slugger to miss a contest. Regardless, it may be something worth monitoring ahead of Thursday's series finale against the Indians.

Cabrera went 3-for-3 with a walk, home run, five RBI and scored twice in Tuesday's blowout win over the Indians.

It's tough to tell if the Indians were trying very hard after clinching the division the night before, but Cabrera certainly didn't miss out on his chance to rack up the stats. His five-RBI effort upped his season total to 102 and earned Cabrera his 12th 100-RBI season, tying him for sixth in MLB history. The slugger also passed icon Joe DiMaggio to move into 48th on the all-time list with 1,537 career RBI. Cabrera will have no reason to ease off the gas pedal in the final days of the season, as the Tigers sit just a game back from a playoff berth.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in the Tigers' 7-4 loss against the Indians on Monday.

Martinez had been in a slump entering Monday, hitting .214/.303/.375 in his last 15 games. It was his 22nd home run of the year, a figure that is down significantly from the career high of 38 he set last year. But Martinez's .313 batting average is much improved, up from .282 in 2015.