MLB Player News

Vargas went 1-for-3 with his third home run of the season in Sunday's loss to Boston.

He's been splitting time at designated hitter with Robbie Grossman, but Vargas got a start Sunday at first base. Vargas has been hot since he was called up from Triple-A Rochester (.294/.324/.588). Expect the Twins to continue to find ways to keep him in the lineup.

Stanton finished 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI during Sunday's 7-0 win over the Mets.

Stanton gave his club a lead it would never relinquish early on, belting a three-run homer to left field in the first inning and adding a solo shot in the third. The slugger had gone 11 games without a homer prior to Saturday, but he now has three in his last nine at-bats and could be on the verge of another power binge after a productive weekend series.

Manager Dusty Baker expects Harper (groin) to be back in the lineup Monday at Baltimore, Jamal Collier of MLB.com reports.

With that, owners of one of the most prolific fantasy producers in all of baseball can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Harper sat out three contests with the groin issue after being removed from Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks, but clearly it's nothing serious. That said, the Nationals will be playing in an American League ballpark Monday and Tuesday, so there's always a chance Harper could slot in as the designated hitter.

Brantley exited Sunday's game against the Royals early with a sprained right ankle, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Brantley was hitless in his two at-bats before being forced to exit the game in the fifth inning. The veteran outfielder has an injury-plagued past but is off to a healthy, productive start to the 2017 season. It'd be a big blow to the Indians if Brantley ends up on the disabled list, though the severity of the sprain is not yet known. We'll await further details from the Indians on that front.

Martinez (foot) will move his rehab assignment to Triple-A Toledo on Monday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Martinez had just started picking up reps in the outfield and is now ready to step up the level of competition after homering for High-A Lakeland on Saturday. According to manager Brad Ausmus, Martinez could be activated at some point during the upcoming four-game weekend series against the Angels. How he responds to Triple-A pitching will likely be a determining factor in his eventual return date.

Harper (groin) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies, Jorge Castillo of The Washington Post reports.

The Nationals are continuing to take the cautious approach with their superstar right fielder, as Sunday marks the third consecutive game that Harper will miss due to his groin injury. Chris Heisey will draw the start in right field in Harper's absence. Though the injury wasn't expected to sideline him for long, we'll have to wait and see if the former MVP will be back in the lineup for Monday's contest against the Orioles.

McCutchen is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

With just three hits through his first six games of May, McCutchen will head to the bench Sunday for a scheduled day of rest. The former MVP has been a disappointment thus far in 2017, but hopefully Sunday's break will allow the veteran outfielder to come back rejuvenated for the team's upcoming seven-game road trip through Los Angeles and Arizona.

Buxton (concussion) is back in the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton has missed back-to-back starts since being lifted from Thursday's game after a collision with the outfield wall, but he has passed concussion tests for multiple days and will now return to action. He'll bat eighth in the order for the series finale.

Martinez (foot) played seven innings in right field and went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's game with High-A Lakeland, Evan Woodbery of MLive reports.

Picking up playing time in the outfield was one of the final hurdles for Martinez, and it seems like everything went off without a hitch Saturday. The Tigers may opt to have their slugging right fielder play a couple more rehab games in the outfield just to get more exposure prior to a return to the big leagues, but a full return appears to be on the horizon. Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports that Detroit plans to have Martinez move his rehab assignment to Triple-A Toledo on Monday, after which a timetable for his return to the majors should become evident.

Buxton (head) said that he passed a concussion test for the third day in a row and was available off the bench Saturday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

While he passed the concussion test, he was still experiencing headaches, so he may not be out of the woods just yet. Consider him questionable for Sunday's series finale against the Red Sox.