MLB Player News

Athletics first baseman Mark Canha went 1 for 4 at the plate in Oakland's 7-2 loss to the Mariners on Saturday.

Canha did his only damage in the eighth inning when he ripped a Danny Farquhar pitch over the left field wall for a solo home run, his fith of the season. Canha is now hitting .258 with 15 RBI in 93 at-bats this season.

Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon is switching things up a bit with Brad Miller, who normally plays shortstop shifting to the outfield, according to The News Tribune.

McClendon isn't worried about the adjustment for Miller.

"I don't think you're going to see Miller doing a lot of DHing," McClendon said. "He will DH a little bit, but not a lot. I don't think he’s going to have a problem fielding a ground ball on the infield. He knows how to do that. The biggest challenge right now is the outfield."

Miller lost his starting role at shortstop when the team called up Chris Taylor.

"I'm not too concerned about sticking a first base mitt on him and saying, 'Field a ground ball at first base and toss it to the pitcher.' I think he has the ability to do that."

Athletics catcher Stephen Vogt is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the Mariners, the team announced. 

Vogt has started five of the last seven games for Oakland and is hitting .322 with seven home runs with 25 RBI in 90 at-bats. Josh Phegley will replace him behind the plate. Center fielder Sam Fuld will also get a day off with Billy Burns drawing the start in center. Burns is hitting .286 in 28 at-bats this season.

Ike Davis will also get a break as Mark Canha will draw the start at first base. Davis has started 13 games in a row for Oakland.

Indians left fielder Michael Brantley went 1 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 9-3 loss to the Twins Friday.

Brantley hit a shot to center field in the eighth inning, but with his team down 8-2 by the team he came to the plate, his homer didn't affect the final result. In the midst of an eight-game hitting streak, Brantley owns a .337/.400/.535 line with three home runs, 15 RBI and four stolen bases in 86 at-bats.

Alcides Escobar returned to the Royals' starting lineup on Friday. Escobar was activated from the 7-day disabled list earlier in the day. He will play shortstop and lead off. 

Christian Colon, who started all seven games that Escobar missed, moves to third base to replace Mike Moustakas, placed on the bereavement list earlier in the day. It's the first start Moustakas has missed this season.

Colon will bat ninth. 

Seth Smith will leadoff and make his second start of the year in left field for the Mariners on Friday against the Athletics, while Dustin Ackley will hit eighth and move over from left and make his second start in centerfield.

Shortstop Brad Miller, who lost his starting job when Chris Taylor was called up last week, will serve as the team’s designated hitter and bat second.

With centerfielder Austin Jackson on the disabled list, the Mariners continue to shuffle their outfield lineup.

Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes hasn't hit a home run in eight games and has just one home run in 16 games since hitting two on April 19. Although, a matchup against White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana might help Cespedes stop his power drought.

Cespedes has hit safely in six of eight at-bats (.750) in his career against Quintana. Four of those hits have gone for home runs. He also has one double and nine RBI.

Cespedes is batting just .185 (5 for 27) against lefties in in 2015, but he has three home runs and 10 RBI.

Twins first baseman Joe Mauer received his first day off this year, as he was held out of Thursday's starting lineup against the A's. Mauer, whose last day off came on September 24, is sporting a .287 batting average this season but has yet to record his first home run of 2015.

Kennys Vargas took over at first base on Thursday, while Torii Hunter was the team's designated hitter on Thursday.

Twins manager Paul Molitor said he'd been looking for a chance to give Mauer a rest, according to the Star Tribune.

Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar, who is currently on the 7-day concussion list, was not activated before Thursday's game against the Indians. However, Escobar could be nearing a return, as he took grounders before the game, according to MLB.com, which could determine if he is cleared to return to the lineup. 

Christian Colon will continue to be the starting shortstop until Escobar is ready to come back.

Twins first baseman Kennys Vargas connected on a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning of Wednesday night's 13-0 win over the Athletics. 

Vargas' shot drove in Danny Santana and Doug Bernier. It was his lone at-bat of the game after entering the game in the top half of the eighth. Vargas is now hitting .222/.267/.346 for the season.