MLB Player News

Kepler (leg) is not in the lineup Sunday against the Royals.

Kepler was not in the lineup Saturday against a right-handed starter and did not make an appearance in the game. The 31-year-old fouled a ball off his right leg in Thursday's game, which resulted in his early departure. X-rays after the game came back negative, but he is not cleared to run, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. The outfielder will be re-evaluated after the upcoming off-day. With some movement around the field for the Twins, Willi Castro gets the start in Kepler's lineup spot, but at third base with Matt Wallner shifting to right field.

Martin is in the lineup Sunday against the Twins for his first career start.

Martin was promoted from Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday after Royce Lewis (leg) landed on the IL. In his first call-up to the majors, he is starting in center field and batting ninth. With the 24-year-old taking center field Sunday, Byron Buxton will be the designated hitter.

Kelly went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Saturday's 7-6, 10-inning win over the White Sox.

Kelly started at catcher and batted seventh in the contest with Jake Rogers getting the day off. That's one start apiece for the two catchers, and it will be worth monitoring the playing time split moving forward. Kelly seems to be the backup at the moment, though he could seize a larger role if he outplays Rogers. Both players could also start at the same time against southpaws with one of them serving as the DH.

Reyes started at third base and went 1-for-4 with two RBI in Saturday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to Seattle.

Reyes started in place of Rafael Devers (shoulder), who is expected to return Sunday after missing two games. Bobby Dalbec filled in at the hot corner Friday. Reyes has appeared in all three games thus far and is the likely starter at second base when a left-hander is on the mound. That should be the case until Vaughn Grissom (hamstring) is ready to return.

Greene went 1-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and two runs scored in Saturday's 7-6, 10-inning win over the White Sox.

Greene's first home run of the year in the seventh inning helped the Tigers erase a 6-4 deficit in the frame and force extra innings. The talented outfielder had Tommy John surgery at the end of last season and may need some time to get rolling in 2024, though all the tools are there for him to have a big campaign. Greene recorded 11 home runs and a .796 OPS across 99 games in 2023.

Abreu started in right field and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Saturday's 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Mariners.

Abreu, who opened spring training as the likely starter in right field, sat out the first two games of the regular season. The addition of Ceddanne Rafaela to the Opening Day roster forced a realignment in the outfield that did not benefit Abreu. Additionally, a rough spring in which he batted .127 and struck out 26 times in 77 plate appearances didn't help his cause.

Miller (1-0) tossed two scoreless innings to earn the win in relief during Saturday's 7-6, 10-inning victory over the White Sox. He struck out one.

Detroit starter Kenta Maeda was tagged for six runs over 3.1 innings, but the Detroit bullpen was lights out the rest of the way, punctuated by Miller at the end. The righty has now tossed three scoreless innings across the team's first two games, so he may be unavailable Sunday. However, Miller looks like he'll be a heavily used and valuable reliver for the Tigers moving forward.

Seager went 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 11-2 win over the Cubs.

Seager was one of five Texas batters to log multiple hits in the contest. He has hits in both games thus far after being limited to eight plate appearances during spring training due to a groin injury.

Jung went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 11-2 win over the Cubs.

Jung provided cushion with a two-run blast that was part of the Rangers' six-run eighth inning. He's played in two straight games after making just eight plate appearances during spring training due to a calf injury.

Walsh started at first base and went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and two additional runs scored in Saturday's 11-2 win over the Cubs.

Walsh's two-run blast in the second inning wiped out Chicago's 2-0 lead, as the Rangers thumped their way to an easy win. The left-handed hitting Walsh got the start against a right-hander after Ezequiel Duran played first base in Thursday's opener against a lefty. Those two are handling the position until Nathaniel Lowe (oblique) is ready to play.