MLB Player News

Indians center fielder Michael Brantley went 2 for 4 in Tuesday's loss to St. Louis. He doubled, walked once, scored and drove in a run. 

Brantley is now hitting .347, and is carrying an 11-game hit streak. He hit his ninth double and drove in his 17th run. 

Mariners shorstop Chris Taylor is back in the starting lineup on Tuesday after missing Monday's game with a finger injury, the team announced.

Taylor will replace Brad Miller, who moves to designated hitter and pushes Rickie Weeks to the bench. Taylor is hitting .167 in 18 at-bats this season.

The Mariners are currently the favorites (-145) against San Diego.

Twins slugger Kennys Vargas is in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers. Vargas was given the day off on Sunday, though he is starting to emerge from his season-long slump at the plate.

Vargas, who will be the designated hitter and bat sixth in the order, owns a batting line of .414/.452/.621 in eight games this month. The hot streak has brought his season batting average to .247, to go along with his three home runs and 10 RBI. 

Torii Hunter, who was the DH on Sunday, is back in right field on Tuesday, while youngster Eddie Rosario gets the day off. 

Tigers outfielders J.D. Martinez and Yoenis Cespedes have swapped lineup spots for the second time in a week.

Martinez was dropped to sixth for the first time this season Wednesday and stayed in that spot for the team's last five games while Cespedes batted fifth. The Tigers have revered to the lineup they featured through most of April, with Martinez fifth and Cespedes sixth.

The Tigers are favorites (-129) against the Twins at home Tuesday.

Indians center fielder Michael Bourn is not in the starting lineup on Tuesday. There is no mention of an injury or other issue here, so it looks like manager Terry Francona is just giving the struggling Bourn a day off. Bourn has actually seen his batting average rise to .218, as he is currently riding a very modest three-game hit streak.

Michael Brantley is moving over to center field, while David Murphy handles left field. Brandon Moss returns to the starting lineup after being rested on Sunday. He will bat fourth and play right field.

Though Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez was able to break a seven-game hitless streak Saturday, he has managed just two hits in 25 at-bats in the month of May.

Martinez jumped out to a hot start this season, collecting four home runs in his first seven games, but it's been largely downhill since. He's managed to battle the offensive woes by drawing eight walks in his last five games, but the outfielder is hitting just .222/.295/.436 with six home runs and 15 RBI in 117 at-bats. Those numbers are more in line with his early-career production rather than his breakout 2014 campaign.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera went 0 for 3 with a walk in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Royals and has just six hits in 31 at-bats this month.

Cabrera was his normal MVP-quality self in April, hitting .373/.465/.627 with five home runs and 17 RBI in 83 at-bats. Aside from a three-hit game in which he homered on May 3, he's had yet to find success since the calendar turned. Cabrera has hit just .186/.327/.209 this May, but it's unlikely the minislump lasts long. Even with the May doldrums, he's hit .325/.431/.535 with six home runs, 21 RBI and a 21:21 K:BB ratio in 114 at-bats.

The Mariners scratched shortstop Chris Taylor from Sunday's lineup. He's being given X-rays after being stepped on in Saturday's game, per Seattle's 710 AM radio.

Those X-rays showed that Taylor has a bruise above his pinky, but the injury should not keep the shortstop out for an extended period of time. 

Brad Miller will replace Taylor in the lineup. 

Athletics left fielder Mark Canha is not in the team's starting lineup for Sunday's game. 

Sam Fuld gets his third start of the year in left field, batting eighth in the lineup. 

Twins designated hitter Kennys Vargas wasn't in the team's starting lineup for Sunday's game at Cleveland.

Torii Hunter moved from right field to replace Vargas at DH. It's his fourth start of the year there. Eddie Rosario replaces Hunter in right, batting seventh in the order. It's his third start in right this season.

The Twins are +145 money-line underdogs on the road.