MLB Player News

Mariners shortstop Brad Miller was ejected from Saturday's game against the Athletics for arguing balls and strikes.

Miller was tossed by home plate umpire Bob Davidson after arguing following a strikeout in the bottom of the fourth inning. He owns a .206/.276/.333 with eight homers and 24 RBI in 267 at-bats.

The Royals optioned infielder Christian Colon to Triple-A Omaha Friday, in order to clear a roster space for the return of Norichika Aoki from the disabled list.

Colon appeared in six games with the Royals, going 4 for 12 with three runs scored.  

Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez has continued his hot-hitting ways in the month of July, as he put together another multi-hit effort in a 16-4 win over the Royals.

Four days after slugging his career-high 12th home run of the season, Martinez was held in the yard Thursday. He still managed to make his impact felt, reaching base three times and driving in three runs, while going 2 for 3 with a walk. He added a pair of runs scored in the win.

Martinez is hitting .429/.462/.829 with three home runs and nine RBI in nine July games.  

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera came back from his first off-day of the season reinvigorated Thursday, as he reached base four times in a 16-4 win over the Royals.

Cabrera went 2 for 3 in the game, and he drove in three runs in the first four innings as the Tigers ran up the score. He also walked twice and scored once in the big win.

Cabrera got off to a slow start -- by his standards -- but is back to seventh in the American League with a .926 OPS. He is batting .315/.376/.550 while ranking second in the AL with 73 RBI in 87 games. 

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera was held out of the starting lineup Wednesday against the Dodgers for the first time all season. As manager Brad Ausmus put it: "Miggy's earned a day off."

"I think he's the one guy who hasn't had a day off all year," Ausmus said, per MLive.com. "The best time would have been Sunday if they hadn't changed it to a night game, because historically he and David Price, the numbers are in Price's favor. But when they changed it to a night game, it kind of changed my thought process.

"It's tough to play matchups with Miggy because he hits most people. We're playing outside the division. We're actually playing outside the league, if you want to get technical. So that was kind of the thought process behind it."

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley went 3 for 4 with two doubles, a home run and three RBI in his team's 5-3 win over the Yankees Tuesday.

Brantley drove in a run in the first inning with a double and did the same in the fifth with another double. He then swatted a solo home run in the seventh inning to provide his team with an insurance run they wouldn't need. Brantley, who has collected multiple hits in five straight games, owns a .328/.391/.529 line with 14 home runs and 60 RBI in 329 at-bats.

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will be looking for his second straight title when he participates in this year's Home Run Derby.

Cespedes was officially selected to be part of the AL team this season Tuesday. He more than doubled any of his competitors in the first round last season by hitting 17 home runs, adding six more in the second round to cruise into the Finals, where he defeated Bryce Harper 9-8. Named as a reserve to the AL All-Star squad Sunday, Cespedes has hit 14 home runs in 332 at-bats this season.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera turned down an invitation to participate in the Home Run Derby, saying he doesn't want to mess with his swing, reports the Detroit Free Press. "I’ll enjoy watching it," said Cabrera, who competed in the 2010 Home Run Derby.

Cabrera is hitting .308 with 14 homers and 68 RBI. "I don’t want to mess with my swing anymore," Cabrera said. "I got enough going on with it."

On Sunday, Major League Baseball revealed the American League reserves for the 2014 All-Star Game, which will be held on July 15 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

The following players were selected as reserves:

C Salvador Perez, Royals
C Derek Norris, Athletics
C Kurt Suzuki, Twins
1B Jose Abreu, White Sox
1B Victor Martinez, Tigers
1B Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays
1B/OF Brandon Moss, Athletics
2B Jose Altuve, Astros
SS Alexei Ramirez, White Sox
3B Adrian Beltre, Rangers
OF Yoenis Cespedes, Athletics
OF Alex Gordon, Royals
OF Michael Brantley, Indians

On Sunday, Major League Baseball revealed the American League starting lineup for the 2014 All-Star Game, which will be held on July 15 at Target Field in Minneapolis. Orioles catcher Matt Wieters was voted as a starter, but Royals catcher Salvador Perez will take his place behind the plate for the game. Other injured players will likely be replaced on the roster moving forward.

The following players were selected as starters by the fans:

OF Jose Bautista, Blue Jays (leading vote-getter)
OF Mike Trout, Angels
OF Adam Jones, Orioles
1B Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
2B Robinson Cano, Mariners
SS Derek Jeter, Yankees
3B Josh Donaldson, Athletics
C Matt Wieters, Orioles
DH Nelson Cruz, Orioles

RHP Yu Darvish, Rangers
RHP Max Scherzer, Tigers
RHP Felix Hernandez, Mariners
RHP Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees
LHP Jon Lester, Red Sox
LHP David Price, Rays
LHP Scott Kazmir, Athletics
LHP Mark Buehrle, Blue Jays
LHP Sean Doolittle, Athletics
RHP Greg Holland, Royals
LHP Glen Perkins, Twins
RHP Dellin Betances, Yankees