MLB Player News

Buxton (knee) is back in the lineup, hitting ninth and manning center field Thursday against the Indians, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports.

The speedy center fielder will return after a three-game absence with the knee injury. It's been a very disappointing season for Buxton, who entered the season as a consensus top-two prospect in baseball. The speed and gold glove caliber center field defense has been on display, but his .199/.254/.325 slash line and 36.3 percent K-rate are cause for pessimism. Nonetheless, he should be a good source of steals down the stretch, and has enough talent to salvage things at the plate in 2017.

Martinez is starting in right field and hitting fifth Thursday against the White Sox.

This is his first start since coming off the DL on Wednesday, although he has already made his presence felt by hitting a pinch-hit home run in Wednesday's game. He should be in the lineup almost every day going forward, and can be deployed in all formats.

Martinez (elbow) hit a pinch-hit home run in Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Martinez returned to the Detroit Tigers in style. After not playing since fracturing his elbow June 16, he pinch-hit in the eighth inning and hit Chris Sale's first pitch into the shrubs above the center field fence to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead. The scene was electric at U.S. Cellular Field as Martinez was the hero in the comeback victory. Expect to see the outfielder to return to everyday duty beginning Thursday.

Martinez (elbow) was activated from the 15-day DL but is not in the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox.

It was anticipated that he would be activated Wednesday, and while manager Brad Ausmus said Martinez is available to pinch hit, he also said he would prefer to give him the day off after the outfielder played two games in Toledo on Tuesday. Look for Martinez to get back in the Tigers' lineup Thursday against the White Sox.

Buxton (knee) remains out of the lineup Wednesday against the Indians, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

While Buxton was supposedly available to pinch hit in Tuesday's game, and manager Paul Molitor said he considered sending in his speedy center fielder as a pinch runner late in that game, he is still not ready to return to the lineup Wednesday. Given Buxton's injury history, there is no reason for the Twins to deploy him until he is 100 percent healthy. Eddie Rosario will get the start in center field while Danny Santana starts in left Wednesday.

Vargas is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Indians, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports.

Vargas is out of the lineup for the second consecutive game as Miguel Sano gets the start at DH. He has been decent since the All-Star break, hitting .250/.351/.396 with one home run and six RBI in 13 games.

Miller was blindsided by the news that he will no longer be the everyday shortstop once the newly-acquired Matt Duffy (Achilles) is healthy, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "Extremely disappointed," Miller said. "Obviously, I'm a shortstop. I've been working hard and doing everything they ask and playing well there, and (Monday) was kind of a punch to the gut, them telling me he's our shortstop now."

Miller, who came over from the Mariners in the offseason, got off to a slow start in 2016 before considerably picking it up at the plate since mid-May. His 16 homers are a franchise record for a shortstop, but his .959 fielding percentage currently ranks last in the majors at the position. Miller will reportedly move to first base, but could also see time in the outfield. Manager Kevin Cash was reportedly blunt with the 26-year-old when informing of the move, essentially telling him that the team had a better chance to win with Duffy at shortstop. However, the Rays' skipper also emphasized that Miller's presence in the lineup is both valued and necessary. "We want Brad Miller in there every day," Cash said. "He provides a huge offensive spark for us, and we're not going to take away from that."

Brantley (shoulder) continues to be limited to taking swings in the batting cage but has been able to increase his volume of swings, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Indians are balancing the fact that they don't want to rush Brantley back versus the fact that the minor league seasons are coming to an end in a few weeks and his ability to head out on a rehab assignment to see some game action may be in jeopardy as a result. He continues to make progress but until he advances further in his rehab it's hard to pinpoint a potential return date.

Reed, who was recalled from the minors on Tuesday, went 0-for-4 with a strikeout during Houston's 2-1 loss to Toronto.

Reed carried a lot of hype in spring training, but ultimately lost the Astros' first base competition to Tyler White and has yet to make an impact in 18 games with the big league club this season. The 23-year-old figures to platoon with White at first base while Luis Valbuena (hamstring) is on the DL. Expect him to start Wednesday when the Astros square off against right-hander Marco Estrada, but sit Thursday against lefty J.A. Happ.

Martinez (elbow) will be activated prior to Wednesday's game against the White Sox, Matthew Mowery of the Oakland Press reports.

Martinez, who has been sidelined with an elbow injury since mid-June, will make his triumphant return Wednesday against lefty Chris Sale. He hit .278/.316/.361 with 11 strikeouts during an eight-game rehab assignment. The elbow injury could prevent him from hitting for his usual power numbers over the rest of the season, but there should still be enough production for him be used in all formats upon his activation.