MLB Player News

Cabrera is out of the lineup for Sunday's series finale with Cleveland after he developed cramps in Saturday's 5-2 win, Jason Beck of MLB.com reports.

The Tigers are presumably just exercising some caution with Cabrera, who will most likely be back in the lineup for Monday's series opener versus the Twins. Robbie Grossman will serve as Detroit's designated hitter Sunday, while Harold Castro picks up the start at first base.

Manager Joe Maddon said Ohtani is expected to hit for himself as the starting pitcher Sunday against the White Sox, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Maddon made the announcement prior to Saturday's game and reiterated that plan following the contest. Ohtani was prevented from serving as the designated hitter the day before his starts in previous seasons, but the Angels apparently want to keep his bat in the lineup this year, even when he's on the mound. The move would result in Los Angeles operating without a designated hitter for Sunday's contest. The 26-year-old went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts in Saturday's victory.

Mercedes went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBI and one run in Saturday's loss to the Angels.

After going 5-for-5 in his first big-league start Friday, Mercedes knocked three straight hits to begin Saturday's game, including his first homer as a major leaguer. With that, Mercedes became the first player since 1900 to begin a season with eight consecutive hits, per Elias Sports Bureau. It's an incredible story, but Mercedes is a 28-year-old journeyman and the lack of positional eligibility in many fantasy leagues hurts his case as a top waiver priority.

Martinez went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles.

Martinez is off to a quick start following a disappointing 2020. He's hit safely in two games thus far, going 4-for-8 with two doubles. The Red Sox's bats have been kept quiet by Oriole pitching, which has limited Boston to two runs and nine hits over 18 innings.

Buxton went 1-for-4 with a home run during Saturday's win over the Brewers.

Buxton has gone deep in each of his first two games of the season and while he'll be unable to sustain that pace going forward, the power display has been impressive to start the year. In fact, Buxton only has two hits in seven at-bats this season and both have gone yard, putting him on pace early to blow past his career-best mark of 16 homers set during the 2017 campaign.

Alvarez went 3-for-5 with a three-run home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 9-1 win over the A's.

With the Astros up 2-1 in the fifth inning, Alvarez smashed a Lou Trivino offering over the wall in left-center field to provide some insurance. Alvarez is quickly making up for lost time after an injury-plagued 2020 and already has one homer and six RBI through two games to begin the season.

Ohtani got through a recent bullpen session without any issues from the blister that cut his final spring outing short, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Ohtani is scheduled to start Sunday against the White Sox, and it doesn't look as though the blister will interrupt those plans. He's in the lineup as a designated hitter Saturday despite the fact that he'll be pitching the next day, something the Angels had avoided doing in previous seasons.

Brantley had X-rays come back negative on his right wrist after being hit by a pitch Saturday against the Athletics, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports.

The 33-year-old initially stayed in the game after being struck by the pitch, though he was removed for his next at-bat. Brantley appears to have avoided a serious injury, but he could still receive a couple days off depending how his wrist responds to treatment.

Brantley left Saturday's game against the Athletics after getting hit by a pitch in the right wrist, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brantley initially remained in the game to run the bases and played half an inning in the field, but he was hit for in his next at-bat. The severity of the injury is not yet clear. Chas McCormick replaced him Saturday and could see some starts in his absence should Brantley be forced to miss an extended period.

Rooker was recalled from Minnesota's alternate training site Saturday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Rooker lost out to Kyle Garlick for the final reserve outfielder spot in spring training, but he could figure into the mix in left field with Josh Donaldson on the injured list with a hamstring injury. Luis Arraez is starting at third base Saturday with Jake Cave in left field. It's possible Rooker could get starts in left field or at first base and even platoon with Cave if he gets hot, but he could also quickly return to the minors when Donaldson is ready to return.