MLB Player News

Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez is going to continue seeing playing time, according to mlive.com.

Manager Brad Ausmus met with outfielder Torii Hunter Wednesday to inform Hunter that Martinez might start more often. Hunter was receptive to the change, saying he doesn't mind as long as the team is winning. Martinez will also get some starts over left fielder Rajai Davis. 

Ausmus had good things to say about Martinez's recent surge. He described Martinez as the "prototypical" five hitter. In 122 at-bats, Martinez is hitting .320, with nine home runs.

Mariners shortstop Brad Miller went 1 for 3 with a solo home run in his team's 5-4 loss to the Red Sox Wednesday.

Miller's eighth-inning home run closed his team's gap to one run, but the offense was unable to come up with an equalizing run before running out of chances. The shortstop has knocked four of his seven home runs in the month of June. He has hit .208/.280/.336 with 21 RBI and three stolen bases in 226 at-bats.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley went 2 for 4 with a walk, a home run and two RBI in his team's 6-1 win over the Diamondbacks Wednesday.

Bradley drove in his first run on a third-inning groundout before slugging a solo home run in the fifth inning. He has enjoyed an excellent season statistically, hitting .325/.394/.524 with 12 home runs, 51 RBI and nine stolen bases in 286 at-bats.

Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez went 2 for 4 with a walk, a double, a home run and two RBI in his team's 8-6 win over the Rangers Wednesday.

Martinez has been lights out at the plate over the last 10 days, hitting six home runs in his last nine games. He extended his hitting streak to 14 games Wednesday. Martinez has hit .320/.356/.648 with nine home runs and 31 RBI in just 122 at-bats.

Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez continued his hot hitting Tuesday, as he extended his hitting streak to 13 games in an 8-2 win over the Rangers.

Martinez went 2 for 5 in Tuesday's game, with his eighth home run of the season. He drove in two runs and scored once, while adding a double and striking out twice in the win.

Martinez has found his swing after being cut by the Astros in the offseason. He is hitting .314/.346/.619 with eight home runs and 29 RBI in 37 games. 

I've made no secret that Brad Miller was one of my favorite breakout picks coming into the year, and even when I finally relented to dropping him in mid-May, I was careful to note that it wasn't goodbye forever, that you'd want to keep an eye out for when his fortunes eventually turned.

It may already be happening.

So far in June -- a span of 20 games -- he's batting .323 (21 for 65) with three home runs and an .883 OPS. His strikeout rate is still a little too high for comfort, but he's coming off his best week in terms of Head-to-Head scoring (25 points) and doing nothing that would have alarmed anyone if this was the way he started the season.

Miller hit .334 with a .925 OPS over his minor-league career and was the 10th-best shortstop in Head-to-Head leagues from the time he reached the big leagues last season. I still like Eugenio Suarez more among bargain-basement shortstops, but Miller himself is available in 64 percent of leagues. That number should shrink significantly between now and the All-Star break.

So I did something bold during my weekly add-drop session Sunday afternoon: I put in a claim for J.D. Martinez in just about every league where he was available.

Notice I said "just about." I understand that in some leagues, namely those of a shallower variety, creating roster space for a player of his stature is unconscionable, so just to add context, Collin McHugh was the player I dropped in the one league where I was successful. I was ready to drop Marco Estrada, A.J. Burnett, Adam Lind and Lucas Duda in others, though.

In short, I don't want to be late to the party like I was with Corey Dickerson. Martinez's minor-league track record is nearly as impressive as Dickerson's -- he has hit .332 with a .942 OPS in parts of six seasons -- but his major-league track record is so unimpressive by comparison that I'm naturally inclined to disregard what he's doing now.

I'm doing my best to fight that inclination in the hope of scoring big, like Dickerson's owners have done.

The recent reports of Martinez overhauling his swing this offseason -- changes that he describes as "extreme," "the complete opposite" and "reinventing himself" -- make my fight a little bit easier.

Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez has a 12-game hitting streak after going 1 for 4 with a two-run double and a run scored Sunday. Martinez has 13 RBI during the streak, which has upped his average to .310/.344/.593 in 113 at-bats.

Although Torii Hunter is expected back from his hamstring injury Tuesday when the Tigers visit Texas, manager Brad Ausmus isn't likely to sit Martinez.

"I don’t see how I can take him out of the lineup,” Ausmus told MLB.com, "unless he tells me he doesn’t want to play or can’t play."

The website said Hunter's return could cost Rajai Davis and Austin Jackson playing time.

Indians top hitter and left fielder Michael Brantley was targeting a Saturday return from a mild concussion and has apparently nailed it. He is in the lineup for Game 2 of the series against visiting Detroit.

Brantley owns a nine-game hitting streak that has improved his stat line to .326/.393/.521. His 11 home runs are already a career-best.

Indians outfielder Michael Brantley returned to action Friday against the Tigers.

Brantley made a pinch hit appearance later in the game. With his team trailing in the ninth, Brantley worked a five-pitch at-bat before hitting a single to center. He advanced to second on defensive indifference, and was left stranded. Brantley has been dealing with a concussion, but is expected to return Saturday. The fact that he was used as a pinch hitter Friday bodes well for his chances of starting Saturday's game.