MLB Player News

Cabrera (biceps) is available to pinch hit Friday against the Twins, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Cabrera will sit for the third straight game Friday, but he appears to be close to returning to the lineup. Ronny Rodriguez will serve as the designated hitter in his absence.

Choi went 2-for-4 with a two-run double, a walk and two runs in a win over the Astros on Thursday.

Choi's timely two-bagger in the seventh inning snapped a 6-6 tie and cinched his third multi-hit effort of the last four games. Choi's recent success comes in the wake of extended struggles, as the 28-year-old South Korean went 8-for-45 over his first 16 games of August.

Cabrera (biceps) is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Twins.

Cabrera will remain on the bench for the third straight game due to left biceps tightness. The 26-year-old took batting practice Thursday and downplayed the injury, but he'll have to wait at least one more game before returning to the starting nine. Ronny Rodriguez will serve as the designated hitter while Jordy Mercer starts at second base Friday.

Solak went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and run scored in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Mariners.

Solak was moved up to the cleanup spot Thursday with the team's usual 3-4-5 hitters all sidelined by injury. In the process, he became the first Ranger rookie to bat fourth since Pete Incaviglia did so in 1986. Solak's reached base safely in all 10 games since being added to the roster.

Soler went 1-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI on Thursday against the Athletics.

Soler took Chris Bassitt deep in the first inning to get the Royals ahead. It was his 37th homer of the season and ninth of August. It's been an impressive breakout campaign for Soler, as he's currently slashing .251/.343/.532 across 562 plate appearances.

Goins will start at shortstop and bat second Thursday against the Twins.

After serving as the designated hitter and manning right field the previous two days, Goins will cover shortstop for a resting Tim Anderson in the series finale. The DH spot probably represents Goins' most realistic path to an everyday role, as his main competition for those duties, Matt Skole, has posted an underwhelming .526 OPS since being called up from Triple-A Charlotte earlier this month.

Cabrera is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Indians but took batting practice and indicated his sore left biceps is feeling better, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

The veteran also relayed that he won't require an MRI for the arm injury that has kept him out of the lineup for the final two games of the series with Cleveland. Manager Ron Gardenhire isn't expected to make Cabrera available as a pinch hitter Thursday, but assuming the 36-year-old shows continued improvement heading into the weekend, he could check back into the lineup as soon as Friday against the Twins.

Lewis is a strong candidate to be called up from Double-A Arkansas in September after rosters expand and the Travelers' postseason run concludes, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old outfielder has put together a solid season, his first full campaign at the Double-A level. Lewis is slashing .266/.346/.406 with 37 extra-base hits (24 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs) and 60 RBI across 117 games with the Travelers, who are slated to begin a best-of-five playoff series Sept. 4 and could be alive in the postseason through Sept. 15. With the Mariners needing to place Lewis on the 40-man roster this winter anyhow in order to protect him from the Rule 5 draft, he appears increasingly likely to get his first taste of the big leagues this season.

Cabrera (biceps) remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Indians, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Brandon Dixon will occupy the designated hitter spot while Cabrera sits for a second straight day on account of the left biceps tightness that first cropped up in Tuesday's game. The Tigers continue to view Cabrera's injury as a day-to-day concern, but there's no real incentive to rush him back into the lineup with little on the line at this point for the 39-91 club.

Ford went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's win over Seattle.

Ford broke a 2-2 tie with a solo shot to right field in the fifth inning. The blast was his fourth home run in the last four games and eighth overall in August. Ford may see a reduced role with Luke Voit set to rejoin the Yankees on Friday, but he has proven more than capable of providing another power bat in New York's fearsome lineup.