MLB Player News

Buxton will start in center field and bat eighth Sunday against the Phillies.

Buxton's ability to start back-to-back games suggests the Twins harbor no concerns about his health after a back contusion limited him to a bench role Wednesday and Friday. In his return to the lineup Saturday, Buxton went 1-for-3 with a walk, run and stolen base.

Alvarez hit three solo home runs for Triple-A Round Rock on Saturday.

Alvarez, Houston's third-ranked prospect, had himself a day to remember. The left-handed hitting outfielder showed off his all-fields stroke, depositing two of his home runs into the left-center seats and the third to straight-away center. The 21-year-old exploded as a prospect in 2018, bashing 20 homers between Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno while having no issue against left-handed pitching (.349/.384/.453). The Astros are chock full of outfielders in Houston, and Alvarez is behind fellow Round Rocker Kyle Tucker as a prospect, so don't expect him to have any significant role in the majors in 2019.

Brantley went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and a second run scored in Saturday's 6-0 win over the A's.

The outfielder's second home run of the year was part of a four-run fifth inning that broke the game open. Brantley is only hitting .219 (7-for-32) through nine games to begin his Houston tenure, but he has solid five-category upside as long as he keeps his spot in the heart of the Astros' order.

Belt went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in the Giants' 6-4 win over Tampa Bay Saturday.

Belt hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning off Ryan Yarbrough, increasing the San Francisco lead to three runs. He also had an RBI single in the third inning. The 30-year old has his batting average up to .250 and has three home runs and eight RBI for the season.

Ozuna went 1-for-3 with two-run homer in a 6-4 loss to the Padres on Saturday.

Ozuna was back in the lineup Friday after an MRI on Thursday revealed no major concerns with his strained side. Ozuna's fifth-inning homer means that the outfielder has now hit safely in six of seven games he's played, and his batting average is now up to .250 on the season.

Jimenez went 3-for-4 in Saturday's 9-2 loss to Seattle.

Jimenez singled the first three times he went to the plate, giving him the first three-hit day of his career. The rookie still seeks his first extra-base hit, but, after a slow start, he's gone 5-for-13 over the last three games. He's seeing a steady dose of off-speed pitches, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports, citing Statcast figures that indicate 55 percent 119 pitches he's faced are off-speed offerings. The White Sox are hopeful he'll continue to adjust to how opponents are game-planning him.

Cabrera went 3-for-4 with a walk, a run and an RBI in a 7-4 win over the Royals on Saturday.

All three hits were singles, but the Tigers and fantasy owners alike won't complain about the veteran stringing together some hits. Cabrera is off to a slow start with a .226 average and .594 OPS with no home runs and just two RBI through 31 at-bats, so maybe this performance will get him going.

Martinez will sit for the first time this season Saturday against Arizona, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

Martinez will be the odd man out as the Red Sox play in a National League park. Expect him to fill an outfield spot in Sunday's series finale.

Vogelbach went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a loss to the White Sox on Friday.

Vogelbach homered for the second time this season when he clubbed a Reynaldo Lopez offering 360 feet to left field in the fourth inning. The 26-year-old has been sporadically used through the first nine games, but he does have multi-hit outings in two of his three starts.

Ozuna (side) went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in a loss to the Padres on Friday.

Ozuna was back in the lineup Friday after an MRI on Thursday revealed no major concerns with his strained side. The veteran outfielder was right back in his usual cleanup spot for Friday's contest, and he's now hit safely in five of the six games he's suited up for thus far. However, concerns linger about Ozuna's overall power, worries that are exacerbated by the fact he has only one extra-base hit (a double) through his first 26 plate appearances.