MLB Player News

Miller went 2-for-5 with a double, a triple and two runs in Friday's 5-1 victory over the Yankees.

The 26-year-old shortstop was making some impactful contact against Yankees starter Ivan Nova, with the three-bagger representing his fifth of the season overall. Miller has hit safely in four of the last five contests as well and has consecutive multi-hit efforts. While he's still hitting a rather middling .250, he's picked it up in the power department over the last several weeks, tallying 10 homers since June 11 while also posting 22 of his 37 RBI since June 1.

Martinez (elbow) will start at DH for Triple-A Toledo on Friday, Matthew B. Mowery of The Oakland Press reports.

Martinez has gone 4-for-10 in his first two rehab assignment games and will be back out there in the DH role Friday against Triple-A Gwinnett. He's yet to advance to playing in the outfield during an outing but that will likely occur in the coming days. Pending any setbacks, the 28-year-old is still projecting to return to the Tigers in early August.

Martinez (elbow) was throwing from 220 feet Friday, but felt a little sore after the workout as he remains on the disabled list, Tony Paul of DetroitNews.com reports.

There was the slight chance that Martinez could play in the outfield for Triple-A Toledo's game on Friday, but the team isn't taking any chances and will keep him in the DH spot for now. Manager Brad Ausmus said that he could return before the end of the team's homestand, which continues through August 7. Chances are that he will be back before then, and could be back in the lineup as a right fielder within the next couple days.

Brantley took some swings from a pitching machine Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

It's a step in the right direction for Brantley who has had a tumultuous return from shoulder discomfort that's sidelined him since early May. There's likely to be an update on the 28-year-old's progress in the coming days after he sees how he feels following the hitting session.

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.