MLB Player News

Buxton hit a solo home run, his first, in Monday's win over the Angels.

Buxton is still hitting a brutal .207/.245/.359 as he struggles to find his way at the major league level, but at least he is finally on the home run board. He homered twice in 46 games last year and is likely a few years away from tapping into any real power. And until he resolves his awful 40:4 K:BB, he's not going to be a worthwhile fantasy player, either.

Manager Terry Francona said Monday that Brantley (shoulder) is "progressing just like he's supposed to," Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Francona added that Brantley is still in soft-toss phase but this is still positive news in regards to his return. Despite the absence of a timetable, the All-Star seems to be on the right track.

Martinez went 2-for-4 Sunday with a double against the Yankees. It was his fourth consecutive multi-hit game.

He's 8-for-14 (.571) in those four games, but aside from Sunday, all the hits were singles. Since the start of June, Martinez is hitting .372 (16-for-41) with four doubles, one HR and eight RBI.

Cabrera doubled in the first inning of Sunday's game for his 2,400th career hit. He finished 2-for-4 with one run scored.

At 33, Miggy became the fifth-youngest player to reach the 2,400 hit mark; Ty Cobb was the youngest to do it at just 31. Cabrera had been scuffling of late -- he'd only had two multi-hit games in his last 18 games and was 16-for-71 (.225) with one HR and eight RBI in that same span. It's likely a case of gripping the bat just a little too tightly as the milestone approached.

Colon will make his third straight start at second base Sunday against the White Sox. He'll bat ninth in the order.

With the White Sox rolling out three straight left-handed starters in the series, Colon has entered the lineup for each game, effectively replacing Jarrod Dyson. In the first two games of the series, Colon went 3-for-8 at the dish, but he'll likely slide back into a reserve role once the string of opposing southpaw starters comes to an end.

Miller is out of the lineup Sunday against the Astros, freelance Rays writer Roger Mooney reports.

Miller will bow out of the lineup with lefty Dallas Keuchel twirling on the mound for the Astros. He'll give way to Tim Beckham at shortstop.

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow said Reed is "getting closer" to a big league promotion, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Luhnow said "there are certain things that we're definitely looking for that will give us confidence that he's going to consistently deliver up here. But I don't think we're that far away." It's possible Luhnow was referring to Reed's struggles against left-handed pitching (5-for-42 entering Wednesday), as they want him to be a regular in the lineup when he arrives in Houston, not as one-half of a platoon. Tyler White has struggled after a hot start to the season, batting just .172 over the last 30 days and .213 overall. Luhnow also suggested Super Two implications were not a concern regarding Reed's promotion, so expect to see him arrive in Houston in the coming weeks or even days.

Miller went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Friday's 4-3 victory over the Astros.

The veteran shortstop broke out of an 0-for-9 mini-slump with his second multi-hit outing of June. Miller's early-season struggles, which saw him hitting under the Mendoza Line as recently as May 15, are now firmly behind him. He's seen his average rise 66 points since May 1, and he's posted three homers and 14 RBI over that span as well.

Martinez went 2-for-3 with a walk in Friday's 4-0 loss to the Yankees.

Despite CC Sabathia throughly styming his teammates, Martinez still managed his second consecutive multi-hit game, and third in his last four. He's enjoying his best all-around month to date this season in June, during which he's slashed .313/.361/.500 over 32 at-bats, with three doubles, a homer and eight RBI.

Colon was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Colon has split time in the majors and minors this season, but he'll now get another shot with the parent club after slashing .250/.313/.295 in 16 games at the major league level earlier in the year. He figures to provide infield depth during this latest stint, with Tony Cruz optioned off the major league roster in a corresponding move.