MLB Player News

Goins (forearm) is 12-for-42 (.318) with one extra-base hit during his rehab assignment at Triple-A Buffalo.

Goins has been eligible to come off the 15-day DL for more than a week now, but the team has decided to keep the tag on him. It doesn't appear the problem has anything to do with the infielder's health, so there's something else going on here. Goins struggled mightily before being injured and landing on the DL back on July 2, and utility infielder Darwin Barney -- who is a very similar player to Goins -- has been the better of the two this season. It's very possible that the 28-year-old Goins will stay put in the minors for a while.

Vargas is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Orioles, MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger reports.

Vargas will get a day off Thursday as Robbie Grossman takes over the designated hitter's spot. In the past five games, Vargas has gone 6-for-18 with three RBI and three doubles, and has provided a nice bat to the lineup since being recalled from Triple-A in early July.

Cabrera went 3-for-4 with the go-ahead home run in the ninth during a 4-3 victory over the Red Sox on Wednesday.

His ninth-inning homer gave Detroit a key victory over Boston. The Tigers now trail the Red Sox by 2.5 games in the Wild Card race. Cabrera went 5-for-10 (.500) with two homers, three RBI and three runs in the series at Fenway. He is slashing .301/.382/.522 with 21 home runs, 60 RBI and 55 runs in 379 at-bats this season.

Choi is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Royals, the Los Angeles Times' Pedro Moura reports.

He has been playing pretty regularly with C.J. Cron (hand) sidelined, but will make way for Jefry Marte at first base Wednesday. Choi's .175 average can be largely attributed to a .188 BABIP, but he has not provided the power (two home runs in 72 plate appearances) to make it worth being patient with him in most formats.

Buxton is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Braves.

It's hard to understand why the Twins insist on giving Buxton a day or two off each week, especially when Robbie Grossman, Eddie Rosario and Danny Santana are the three players starting over him in the outfield. He has 14 strikeouts in his last 28 at-bats, so that obviously has something to do with it, but so far unpredictable playing time has not helped him improve on his contact issues.

Cabrera homered, walk, knocked in two runs and scored twice in a 2-for-4 game in Tuesday's win over the Red Sox.

Cabrera is on a roll, with four multi-hit games in his last seven, now including two homers, two doubles and six walks in that span. The home run was his 20th, giving him 12 seasons with at least 20 homers in his illustrious career. Still, his power output hasn't quite been up to his career standards -- his .512 slugging percentage would be his worst since his first full season back in 2004 with the Marlins at age 21.

Martinez will serve as the designated hitter in his first two games with Triple-A Toledo, but could return to the outfield as early as Friday, Katie Strang of ESPN reports.

While starting as a designated hitter seemed to signal his elbow wasn't ready to play the outfield, it appears the issue won't keep him off the field much longer. When healthy, he should retake his everyday role in right field, but Martinez may require a lengthier rehab before his return to the majors.

Brantley (shoulder) remains without a timetable to return but says he is "very confident" he will return and have an impact this season, Chris Assenheimer of The Chronicle Telegram reports.

Brantley had surgery last week to remove scar tissue from the shoulder that's nagged him all season and while he's yet to resume baseball activities, he's optimistic about returning this season. The 29-year-old will likely begin jogging and light-arm exercises in the coming weeks but could be held out all of August as he works his way back to full strength.

Martinez (elbow) will begin a rehab stint at Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday, starting as a designated hitter, Katie Strang of ESPN reports.

The Tigers seemingly aren't in any rush to get Martinez back in Detroit, so it's possible that the outfielder will take a longer-than-usual rehab assignment at Triple-A. That being said, his ability to play in the outfield while with Toledo will be the signal that he's likely a few days away from rejoining the Tigers.

Choi went 1-for-4 with a solo homer against the Astros on Saturday.

Choi's second home run of the season pulled the team within five runs in the fifth inning of a road loss. He's now hit safely in seven of 10 games in July, but he's only slashing .163/.276/.327 over 53 at-bats on the year.