MLB Player News

Twins slugger Kennys Vargas is in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Tigers. Vargas was given the day off on Sunday, though he is starting to emerge from his season-long slump at the plate.

Vargas, who will be the designated hitter and bat sixth in the order, owns a batting line of .414/.452/.621 in eight games this month. The hot streak has brought his season batting average to .247, to go along with his three home runs and 10 RBI. 

Torii Hunter, who was the DH on Sunday, is back in right field on Tuesday, while youngster Eddie Rosario gets the day off. 

Tigers outfielders J.D. Martinez and Yoenis Cespedes have swapped lineup spots for the second time in a week.

Martinez was dropped to sixth for the first time this season Wednesday and stayed in that spot for the team's last five games while Cespedes batted fifth. The Tigers have revered to the lineup they featured through most of April, with Martinez fifth and Cespedes sixth.

The Tigers are favorites (-129) against the Twins at home Tuesday.

Indians center fielder Michael Bourn is not in the starting lineup on Tuesday. There is no mention of an injury or other issue here, so it looks like manager Terry Francona is just giving the struggling Bourn a day off. Bourn has actually seen his batting average rise to .218, as he is currently riding a very modest three-game hit streak.

Michael Brantley is moving over to center field, while David Murphy handles left field. Brandon Moss returns to the starting lineup after being rested on Sunday. He will bat fourth and play right field.

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter (fatigue) is back in the starting lineup and batting second Tuesday, while center fielder Jon Jay (thumb) is on the bench for his team's game against the Indians.

Carpenter missed four games last week due to extreme fatigue but is ready to see his first action since Wednesday. He has hit .333/.403/.620 with five home runs and 20 RBI in 108 at-bats.

Jay suffered a thumb injury Saturday and was only able to serve as a pinch-runner Sunday. Peter Bourjos will make another start in center field with Jay sidelined.

The Cardinals are underdogs (+110) in Cleveland Tuesday.

Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna connected off Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke in the seventh inning for his third home run of the season during Monday's 5-3 loss the Dodgers.

The home run was Ozuna's only hit in the game. He finished the contest 1 for 3 with one walk and two runs scored. Over his last five games, Ozuna is 6 for 20 with three home runs and four RBI. Ozuna has hit each of the three home runs during that span.

After taking Sunday's game off to rest, Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton was back in Monday's lineup to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles, reports MLB.com.

Stanton will hit in his usual No. 3 spot in the lineup and he will face Zack Greinke. Stanton is 2 for 9 with one home run in his career against Greinke. Over his last nine games, Stanton is hitting .167 with one home run and eight RBI. 

The Marlins are the underdogs (+220) at the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday.

For the second straight game Juan Uribe is out of the Dodgers' starting lineup, as Justin Turner gets the nod at third base Monday against the Marlins. 

Turner, a utility infielder, was the Dodgers' hero on Sunday after breaking a tie game with a pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning. 

Uribe is hitting .261 this season with one homer and six RBI.

Phillies outfielder Darin Ruf is not in the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Pirates.

Ruf has made seven straight starts while seeing time at first base and left field. With Ruf out of the lineup Ben Revere is shifting to left and Grady Sizemore is getting the start in right field for the second straight game.

The Phillies are home underdogs (+155) against the Pirates Monday, per VegasInsider.com.

The Cubs open a series against the Mets on Monday with a slightly revamped lineup that features right fielder Jorge Soler hitting cleanup for only the second time this season. 

Soler only has three home runs on the season, but with catcher Miguel Montero out of the lineup in place of David Ross, the Cubs will slide his bat into that power position. 

Soler's other appearance in the 4-hole came on May 5, when he went 1-for-4 in a loss to the Cardinals. The Cubs (-142) are favorites in Monday's contest. 

Though Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez was able to break a seven-game hitless streak Saturday, he has managed just two hits in 25 at-bats in the month of May.

Martinez jumped out to a hot start this season, collecting four home runs in his first seven games, but it's been largely downhill since. He's managed to battle the offensive woes by drawing eight walks in his last five games, but the outfielder is hitting just .222/.295/.436 with six home runs and 15 RBI in 117 at-bats. Those numbers are more in line with his early-career production rather than his breakout 2014 campaign.