MLB Player News

Tigers slugger J.D. Martinez has hit just about everyone since arriving in Detroit, but Indians right-hander and Tuesday starter Danny Salazar is not included. Martinez is 1-for-9 with seven strikeouts lifetime against Salazar, which is why he is out of the lineup.

Martinez went 0-for-4 Monday night to end a torrid streak highlighted by a three-homer explosion the day before. He is 13-for-37 over his last nine games.

Prior to Monday's game against the White Sox, Twins manager Paul Molitor moved rookie center fielder Byron Buxton into the leadoff spot in the lineup and said the experiment would likely last just one game because he liked the matchup against left-hander John Danks.

Well, Molitor might have to reconsider his plans since Buxton provided a spark atop the lineup in a 13-2 rout.

Buxton wasted little time making an impact, as he recorded his first career double in his first at-bat Monday. He went on to have his first multihit game, going 3 for 5 with three runs.

"I'm just glad Molitor had that much faith in me to put me in the leadoff spot," Buxton said, per MLB.com. "I just tried to relax and have fun."

Buxton now has four hits in his last two games after managing just two hits in his first seven games.

"It's got to feel good for him to get a multihit game and contribute and get a chance to lead off and score a run in the first inning," Molitor said. "So it was nice to see him respond with that challenge and be a part of the win."

Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes smacked his 10th home run of the season to send the Tigers to a 8-5 win over the Indians on Monday.

Cespedes hit the solo shot off Trevor Bauer in the third inning. Cespedes also drove in two more runs when he hit a double off Bauer in the first inning. He finished the game 3 for 3 with three RBI and two runs scored.

Prior to Monday's game, Cespedes had been hitting .357 with two home runs and eight RBI in his last 14 games.

For the first time since his promotion to the majors, the Twins batted Byron Buxton in the leadoff spot Monday against the White Sox. He had hit ninth in his first eight games.

Buxton moving to the top spot in the lineup meant Brian Dozier got bumped to the second spot in the batting order. Dozier has hit leadoff a team-high 51 times in 2015, and Monday was the first time he hadn't hit leadoff since May 20.

Twins manager Paul Molitor said he envisions Buxton batting leadoff as a "one-day thing," per MLB.com. He likes the matchup Monday against left-hander John Danks.

Buxton is batting just .120 (3 for 25) with one triple, one stolen base and nine strikeouts since his highly anticipated promotion. Dozier has a .271/.529/.887 slash line in his last 19 games.

Blue Jays second baseman Ryan Goins is not in the starting lineup for Monday's game, snapping a streak of 12 straight starts at first for the Jays. Goins has started 15 of the last 16 games. 

Munenori Kawasaki will replace Goins at second, getting the call for just the fifth time this year. He'll bat ninth. 

Tigers right fielder J.D. Martinez had quite an afternoon at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Martinez went 3 for 5 with three home runs and six RBI in the 12-4 victory over the Yankees. Just one would have been enough for his dad Julio on Father's Day. 

"He said, 'Why don't you hit home run No. 14 for me,'" Martinez said, per MLive.com.

Martinez had a two-run shot in the first inning, and a solo shot in the fifth, both off Masahiro Tanaka. He then added a three-run bomb in the sixth inning, as he became the first Tigers player to have three home runs in a game against the Yankees since 1959.

"It was just one of those days where you take swings and you're actually hitting the ball how you want to hit it," Martinez said, per MLB.com. "There's not too many of those days, so you've just got to take advantage of them."

Martinez now has 16 home runs and 41 RBI on the season. This was the first multi-homer game of his career. He has hit seven longballs in 17 games this month.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera went 2 for 4 in Friday's loss to the Yankees, extending one streak and snapping another. 

Cabrera hit in his seventh straight game. He's hitting .500 over that span with 1.504 OPS. 

Cabrera didn't drive in a run, however, ending a stretch of six straight games with RBI. 

Indians left fielder Michael Brantley continued his hot streak at the plate during Thursday's game against the Cubs.

Brantley went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI.

In his last 15 games, Brantley is hitting .298 with 17 hits, seven walks and six RBI.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said Thursday infielder Ryan Goins will get spot starts at second base, shortstop, third base and in the outfield once second baseman Devon Travis comes off the disabled list, per TSN.ca.

Goins has been on a nice run offensively as of late, batting .381 (8 for 21) with one home run, three doubles and nine RBI in his last six games.

Twins center fielder Byron Buxton hasn't done much offensively since his highly anticipated promotion from the minors. Entering play Thursday, he was batting .154 (2 for 13) in four games.

As much as the Twins want to be patient with the 2012 first-round pick, they are in the thick of AL Central race and need Buxton to iron out his swing quickly.

"You bring a kid up without any track record and you're evaluating him on a daily basis," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said, per the Pioneer Press. "I'm not going to tell you he's on a short leash, but I certainly do look for production, just like anybody else.

"He's starting out with a little bit of a shaky approach. Maybe he'll start to adjust and get it going. Hopefully, that'll be the case."

Buxton has made an impact defensively, and he seems confident his offensive game will turn around.

"I'm getting a little bit more comfortable up there," Buxton said. "I'm seeing pitches a little bit better and I'm starting to take a whack at it."