MLB Player News

Buxton (undisclosed) is not in the lineup Friday against the Red Sox, Brandon Warne of Zone Coverage reports.

Buxton was removed from Thursday's contest prematurely following a hard collision with the wall. He was able to pass the concussion protocol following his exit, though the Twins are likely holding him out for precautionary reasons. He should be considered day-to-day for now, while more should be known about his status once the Twins provide more information.

Harper is not in the Nationals' lineup Friday after suffering a groin tightness in Thursday's game, Dan Kolko of MASN Sports reports.

Harper was removed in the seventh inning of Thursday's win and it appears to have lingered for another day. His absence in the lineup may simply be a precaution, so consider him day-to-day heading into the weekend. Chris Heisey will take over as the primary right fielder in his stead.

Miller is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Blue Jays.

Daniel Robertson will start at second base. Considering that the Rays will be facing Francisco Liriano, who is known to be a reverse-splits pitcher, it makes sense that they opted for the left-handed-hitting Robertson for Friday's game.

Martinez (foot) is tentatively scheduled to play right field for High-A Lakeland on Saturday, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Everything will depend on how Martinez feels coming out of his first rehab game with Lakeland on Friday (in which he'll serve as the DH), but a return to the outfield appears imminent. Playing the outfield and playing the outfield on back-to-back days are probably the final hurdles for Martinez, who is working his way back from a sprained lisfranc ligament in his right foot. He has been logging at-bats in extended spring training over the past week or so.

Martinez (foot) is set to begin a rehab assignment with High-A Lakeland on Friday.

During a Monday DH appearance for extended spring training, Martinez fouled a ball off his left foot -- not his injured right foot -- but X-rays were negative. This upcoming assignment is a positive step for the outfielder, who will rejoin the major-league club sometime next week if all goes well.

Harper was removed from Thursday's contest due to groin tightness, Dan Kolko of MASN reports.

The young superstar was lifted from the game in the seventh inning in favor of Chris Heisey, and although it wasn't revealed at the time, the Nationals seemed to just be playing things safely with Harper while they held the lead. Consider Harper day-to-day for now, with more details on his availability moving forward likely coming as Friday's start time approaches.

Buxton (undisclosed) was removed from Thursday's contest for precautionary reasons and will be re-evaluated Friday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

The young center fielder went through the concussion protocol following his exit, and after going through the program without a hitch, the Twins are considering him day-to-day. No word about his availability Friday has been revealed, but more information should become available following his upcoming evaluation.

Harper was lifted prematurely from Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.

It's currently unclear what forced Harper out of the game after just seven innings. He was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run before Chris Heisey took over for him in right field. More should be known about his status after the game.

Buxton exited in the fifth inning of Thursday's contest with the Athletics after running into the center field wall while making a catch, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear if his removal was injury-related or not, but it's certainly not good to see something like this happen just when the former top prospect was finally getting comfortable in the batter's box. Buxton's status should become clearer after the game's conclusion, but in the meantime, Eddie Rosario will slide over to center field to fill the void while Max Kepler rounds out the outfield.

Cespedes (hamstring) could miss a longer period of time than initially hinted, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports.

It's a bit of guesswork on Heyman's part, but he is often tuned in to such things, especially in his native New York market. Though he's rehabbing at the Mets' Port St. Lucie camp, Cespedes told him "this one hurts" around when the injury first occurred. Per Heyman, it was a bit of a departure from how Cespedes typically responds to questions about physical issues. Cespedes' fantasy owners may be without the stud slugger for at least another few weeks, but more information should be relayed in the near future. Of course, given the negativity surrounding this team's medical staff recently, it may be a convoluted process.