MLB Player News

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said that he plans to find days off for some of his regulars who haven't missed a game yet this year. 

Miguel Cabrera has started every game at first base. Ian Kinsler has been a fixture at second, and one day at DH is the only thing that kept Yoenis Cespedes out of left field this season. 

"Absolutely (a day off) can help," Ausmus said, per the Detroit Free Press. "Even if you're not struggling, just to not have to think about every pitch every at-bat, you just kind of sit back for a day and watch the game until you're called upon to go into it. It's almost like going to a spa for the day. It's mentally relaxing."

Athletics designated hitter Billy Butler is out of the starting lineup for Sunday's game. It will be just the second start Butler has missed this season. 

Mark Canha moves to DH from left field to give Butler a day of rest. Sam Fuld shifts from center to left to replace Canha. 

Entering the lineup to fill Fuld's vacancy in center is Billy Burns, who will bat leadoff. Burns is making his second consecutive start in center. 

For the fourth time this season, Joe Mauer and Kennys Vargas will switch positions to give Mauer a day off from the field. 

Mauer will play designated hitter for the Twins in Sunday's game, while Vargas will play first base. It's the second time in five games and third in the last nine that the two players have flip-flopped positions. 

Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez received a day of rest Saturday against the Royals. Martinez has struggled as of late, hitting .205 (8-for-39) with 17 strikeouts over his last 10 games. He has been held without a hit in his four career at-bats against right-hander Edinson Volquez.

Rajai Davis moved to right field and will bat ninth, while Anthony Gose remained in the leadoff spot and in center field.

Detroit is favored (-125) at Kansas City, per VegasInsider.com.

Athletics left fielder Mark Canha was instrumental in his team's come-from-behind victory against the Rangers on Friday night. Canha, who had entered the game with just six hits in has last 24 at-bats, went 2 for 4 with a two-run home run.

Canha's home run, his third of the season and second in as many games, led off the top of the eighth inning, an inning in which the A's would score seven runs en route to the 7-5 win. In fact, both of Canha's hits on Friday came in that eighth inning. 

Twins outfielder Oswaldo Arcia returned to the lineup for Saturday's game against the White Sox. Arcia, who had been held out of the lineup each of the last two games, was batting seventh and playing right field. 

Torii Hunter was moved to designated hitter on Saturday as Kennys Vargas was given the day off. Arcia is currenlty riding a four-game hit streak, entering play on Saturday. 

Indians left fielder Michael Brantley went 2 for 5 with a two-run home run in Friday night's victory over the Blue Jays. Brantley also singled and scored twice on the evening. Brantley's fourth-inning bomb broke a 4-4 tie, and the Indians went on to win 9-4.

This was Brantley's first home run of the year, after hitting 20 last season. However, Brantley is still hitting well, with a slash line of .455/.486/.697 over his last eight games. 

With Jose Reyes on the disabled list and Devon Travis getting his second day off this season, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons decided to shake up his lineup Friday against the Indians.

Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion all moved up one spot in the lineup, which meant Donaldson moved into the leadoff spot. It was the first time in Donaldson's career he hit leadoff.

Russell Martin moved into the cleanup spot, which is usually where Encarnacion bats. He was followed by Kevin Pillar, Michael Saunders, Dalton Pompey, Ryan Goins (who started for Travis) and Jonathan Diaz.

Mariners shortstop Brad Miller committed two errors earlier this week on wild throws and was perhaps saved by first baseman Logan Morrison by one or two more, but neither he nor manager Lloyd McClendon are too worried about the shortstop's shaky throws, the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

"I just had two throws that were a little shaky," Miller said, "but that’s how it works. You’re not going to be perfect every time. It’s nothing too extreme. Obviously, you want to make accurate throws, but you’ve just go to keep making plays. I made every play the next day. You just kind of keep going. You can’t get too worked up."

McClendon didn't dismiss Miller's issues completely but didn't see any major reasons for concern.

"It’s just footwork," McClendon said. "He’s got a good arm. I think, at times, he just forgets his footwork. He’s got to continue to work on it. I think he’s going to be fine because everything is correctable."

Miller was able to make a fine defensive play in the seventh inning of Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Astros. He went 0 for 1 with two walks at the plate and has hit .277/.333/.400 with one home run, seven RBI and three stolen bases in 65 at-bats.

Athletics left fielder Mark Canha went 3 for 4 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 6-5 loss to the Angels Thursday.

Cahna's two-run homer in the seventh inning was his team's only extra-base hit of the game and started Oakland's climb back from a 6-0 deficit. They were able to rally for three runs in the ninth, including one on an RBI single by Canha, but saw the game end on a leaping play by Angels center field Mike Trout with the bases loaded.

Canha has slowed down considerably after a hot first week, but Thursday's performance was a big step back in the right direction. He has hit .279/.329/.412 with two home runs, 10 RBI and two stolen bases in 68 at-bats.