MLB Player News

Vargas is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rays, Phil Miller of the Star Tribune reports.

Vargas is out of the lineup for the third time in the past four games after going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Thursday's contest against Cleveland. Miguel Sano will hit in the DH spot for Friday's game, with Jorge Polanco taking over the hot corner.

Choi went 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in Thursday's loss to the A's.

Believe it or not, Choi almost had a third home run, but Coco Crisp robbed him with a leaping catch at the wall in the bottom of the fifth inning. Choi had two home runs in 32 games entering play Thursday, and even after this performance, he's still slashing just .182/.273/.390 on the season.

Cabrera went 2-for-4 with a solo homer in Thursday's loss to the White Sox.

The 33-year-old continues to tear the cover off the ball -- Thursday's homer was his fourth in as many games and seventh since the All-Star break. He's been excellent since the first couple weeks of the season and remains a set-it-and-forget-it fantasy stud.

Miller went 1-for-2 with two walks and a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Royals 3-2 on Thursday afternoon.

Miller's 19th homer was his second in as many days, and the 26-year-old's fourth in the last six games. He's now hit safely in eight of nine contests to push his average to a season-high .254 through 355 at-bats. Miller was recently told that he would be moving away from shortstop to play first base. He's yet to log a game at the corner spot, but if he indeed begins to play there, then Miller could earn eligibility at first base in time for the fantasy playoffs.

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.