MLB Player News

Tigers left fielder Yoenis Cespedes ahs been a force offensively since the start of July, and he continued that during Thursday's win over the Twins.

Cespedes went 2 for 4 with a double and a RBI in the victory.

Since July 1, Cespedes is hitting .293 with 12 hits, four doubles, two home runs and five RBI.

Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, who is recovering from a thumb injury, has been running, throwing and squeezing a training ball with his left hand as he continues his rehab, per Twincities.com.

Buxton has been on the 15-day disabled list since June 26.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera has started his rehab process as he works his way back from a medial calf strain, per MLB.com.

Cabrera has started physical therapy, been given a platelet-rich plasma injection and taken hyperbaric chamber treatments for the strain. In good news, Cabrera's Achilles tendon was not involved in the injury.

"We're hoping that he will be able to return in the six-week time frame. That's our hope," team trainer Kevin Rand said. "It's going to take [whatever] time it takes."

Cabrera is expected to miss six to eight weeks with the injury.

Yoenis Cespedes was one of four Tigers players to homer during a 7-6 loss in 11 innings to the Mariners on Tuesday. 

Cespedes tied the game at six in the eighth inning with a two-out, solo home run off Fernando Rodney. It was his 12th home run and second in as many games.

He has hit safely in six of seven games in July. He is batting .281 (9 for 32) with two home runs, three doubles, four RBI, six runs and six strikeouts in that span.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley went 3 for 4 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Astros. Brantley had gone 46 games since his last longball, as he hadn't homered since May 14. 

"It felt good," Brantley said, per MLB.com. "It was a big swing at the time of the game. To go up 2-0 instead of 1-0; and one swing away, now they're two swings away."

His fifth home run of the season gave the Indians their second run in the sixth inning. He's now batting .282 over his last 10 games.

"Everybody in here knows we've got to finish this homestand strong before we go into the All-Star break," Brantley said. "And then when we come back from there, we'll start from day one just like we've been playing lately. We've been playing good, competitive baseball, we've been pitching well, and we've got to continue to do that to be successful in our division."

Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes joined the hit parade Monday night in Seattle. He homered and singled as part of a 19-hit onslaught and lopsided win for the Tigers.

His solo blast in the sixth cut the deficit to 5-4 and began a 9-0 blitz over a two-inning period. He also scored in the seventh.

The big game pushed his hitting streak to four and gave him seven hits in his last 19 at-bats.

Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez hit his 24th home run of the season during Monday's 12-5 win over the Mariners.

Martinez hit the solo shot off Hisashi Iwakuma in the fourth inning. He finished the game 3 for 5 with three runs scored and two RBI.

Martinez has now homered in four of his last five games and he has 10 RBI over that time.

The American League reserves for the 2015 MLB All-Star game were announced Monday and the following players were selected:

Catcher: Russell Martin, Blue Jays; Stephen Vogt, Athletics

First Base: Prince Fielder, Rangers; Albert Pujols, Angels (will start in place of injured Miguel Cabrera); Mark Teixeira, Yankees (replaces injured Cabrera on roster)

Second Base: Jason Kipnis, Indians

Shortstop: Jose Iglesias, Tigers

Third Base: Manny Machado, Orioles

Outfield: Jose Bautista, Blue Jays; Adam Jones, Orioles; J.D. Martinez, Tigers

Utility: Brock Holt, Red Sox

Starting Pitchers: Sonny Gray, Athletics; Felix Hernandez, Mariners; David Price, Tigers; Dallas Keuchel, Astros; Chris Sale, White Sox; Zach Britton, Orioles; Chris Archer, Rays

Relief Pitchers: Dellin Betances, Yankees; Brad Boxberger, Rays; Zach Britton, Orioles; Wade Davis, Royals; Kelvin Herrera, Royals; Darren O'Day, Orioles; Glen Perkins, Twins

The following players are eligible to be voted in during the final Fan Vote: SS Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox; OF Yoenis Cespedes, Tigers; OF Brett Gardner, Yankees; 2B Brian Dozier, Twins; 3B Mike Moustakas, Royals

The American League starters for the 2015 All-Star Game on July 14 were announced Sunday. The Royals will send four starters to the Summer Classic, with Salvador Perez, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon leading the votes in their respective positions.

Angels outfielder Mike Trout will make his fourth consecutive All-Star appearance. He received the most votes of any outfielder and the second most on the AL roster.

Catcher: Salvador Perez, Royals
First baseman: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers (injured)
Second baseman: Jose Altuve, Astros
Third baseman: Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays (top AL vote-getter)
Shortstop: Alcides Escobar, Royals
Outfield: Mike Trout, Angels
Outfield: Lorenzo Cain, Royals
Outfield: Alex Gordon, Royals
Designated Hitter: Nelson Cruz , Mariners

The National League starters for the All-Star Game were announced Sunday, and leading the way after an impressive first half is Nationals slugger Bryce Harper, who racked up nearly 14 million votes to pace the field. 

Harper entered Sunday's game with a .344 average, 25 home runs and 60 RBIs, numbers that have him squarely in the conversation for the Triple Crown. He'll be joined in Cincinnati by players from an array of teams, unlike the AL's Royals-heavy squad. 

Catcher: Buster Posey, Giants
First baseman: Paul Goldschmidt, Diamondbacks
Second baseman: Dee Gordon, Marlins
Third baseman: Todd Frazier, Reds
Shortstop: Jhonny Peralta, Cardinals
Outfield: Bryce Harper, Nationals
Outfield: Matt Holliday, Cardinals
Outfield: Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins