MLB Player News

Athletics manager Bob Melvin confirmed Thursday that there's a good chance outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will play left field in Friday's Game 1 against the Tigers, Comcast SportsNet reports.

Cespedes threw Thursday to test his injured shoulder, which limited him to DH duties from Sept. 14 to Sept. 25 before he played three innings in left field on Sept. 27. He went 8 for 37 with three home runs and six RBI during his DH-only stretch.

Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera said his abdominal injury will not be an issue during the playoffs, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Cabrera has been dealing with the injury during September. He's hitting .348/.442/.636 in 555 at-bats. 

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Wednesday that third baseman Miguel Cabrera has been "playing in a lot of pain," ESPN reports.

"He's not 100 percent," Leyland said. "He's been playing in a lot of pain. He's a real tough guy. I think if anybody knew the pain he's playing in, they probably wouldn't believe it."

Cabrera dealt with multiple injuries over the second half of the season while hitting .316/.411/.565 with 14 home runs and 42 RBI in 193 at-bats after the All-Star break. He hit .365/.458/.674 with 30 home runs and 95 RBI in 362 at-bats during the first half of the season.

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes expects to start on Friday in Game 1 of Oakland's American League Division Series matchup with Detroit, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Cespedes is expected to play the outfield after being limited to DHing down the stretch of the regular season. 

Cespedes said he felt better after taking batting practice Tuesday. After his first two rounds of batting practice, Cespedes had not hit one out of the park. He began warming up after that and ended up taking a couple pitches deep before the session was over. 

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is planning to be in the outfield for the playoffs, according to CSN.

Cespedes has been dealing with an injured elbow, and has been limited to serving as the designated hitter recently. He was able to take batting practice Tuesday after resting his elbow for a few days. He said he would be in the outfield if he had to throw left-handed. Cespedes is a righty. 

In 529 at-bats, Cespedes hit .240/.294/.442. 

Yoenis Cespedes was out of the Athletics' starting lineup for the second game in a row, as Brandon Moss served as the team's designated hitter for Sunday's series finale in Seattle.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the organization wants Cespedes to rest his right shoulder, which has felt sore since Friday's game, so that he will be ready for the American League Division Series. Cespedes did not hit or throw on Saturday, so the team does not have a clear sense of how much time he will need to recover.

Mariners shortstop Brad Miller was instrumental to Saturday's 7-5 victory over the A's, going 2 for 4 with two home runs and five RBI atop the Mariners lineup.

It was Miller's third two-homer game of the season, a surprising figure considering he has just eight home runs with the major-league team. His five RBI matched his monthly total heading into Saturday's game. Miller owns a .262/.316/.417 line with eight home runs, 36 RBI and five stolen bases in 302 at-bats.

Blue Jays second baseman Ryan Goins hit his second home run of the year on Saturday in the second to last game of the season against Tampa Bay. Goins went deep in the fifth inning for a two-run homer. 

The second baseman went 1 for 4 with two RBI in the game and is nowbatting .263 on the season for the Jays. 

The 25-year-old Goins has at least one base hit in nine straight games and has five RBI over that span. 

Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who left Friday's game with a shoulder issue, could not start Saturday at Seattle, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The A's won't know more about Cespedes' issue until he attempts to throw. That is not likely to be Saturday. 

A's outfielder Yoenis Cespedes was forced out of Friday game against the Mariners with a sore right shoulder. Cespedes had previously been dealing with this injury, which has caused him to serve as a designated hitter. He is hitting .240 with 26 homers and 80 RBI in 529 at-bats.