MLB Player News

Reed was optioned to Triple-A Fresno on Tuesday, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Though Reed enjoyed an excellent spring, slashing .306/.444./667 with four homers and 11 RBI over 36 at-bats in Grapefruit League play, the Astros didn't have a full-time role available for him with manager A.J. Hinch casting his lot with Yulieski Gurriel and Carlos Beltran at first base and DH, respectively, to begin the season. Despite the prospect hype surrounding him heading into last season, Reed was unable to translate his minor-league success into quality production in the big leagues, so it looks like he'll now have to bide his time in the minors and wait for an injury to open up another opportunity with the Astros.

Canha, who's projected to primarily serve in a right-field platoon with Matt Joyce this season, will start in center field Tuesday against the Mariners, Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area reports.

Manager Bob Melvin is trying to determine whether Canha can demonstrate enough competence in center to allow the A's to potentially keep four outfielders and an extra reliever heading into the regular season. The 28-year-old has already been deployed in center field on a couple of occasions this spring but hasn't seen much action come his way yet. He'll get another opportunity Tuesday and has been making up for the lack of chances thus far by taking extra flyballs during pregame workouts. "I've said all along the biggest difference is throws, different angles and longer throws in general," Canha said. "But I think the biggest thing for me is just remember, be an athlete out there, be aggressive."

Brantley (shoulder) started in left field and went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in his Cactus League season debut Monday.

He left for a pinch-runner in the fifth inning, but Brantley's debut appears to have occurred without setback. The Indians do not have a game Tuesday, but Brantley is expected to be back in the lineup Wednesday against Colorado, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Martinez (foot) will undergo a stress CT scan in Charlotte on Friday, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

Martinez suffered a mid-foot sprain while making a catch in the outfield on Saturday, and while the X-rays came back negative, the Tigers are sending him for a second opinion on Friday. Manager Brad Ausmus remains optimistic that the outfielder avoided a worst-case injury, but more won't be known until the new test results are disclosed. If the 29-year-old is forced to open the season on the DL, look for a combination of Mikie Mahtook, JaCoby Jones and Steven Moya to make starts in his place.

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.