MLB Player News
-
Brad Miller DH | SD
Rays' Brad Miller: Out of Saturday's lineup
Miller is out of Saturday's lineup against the Red Sox, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
With the Rays facing southpaw David Price, they are loading up the lineup with right-handed hitters, resulting in Miller starting the game on the bench. C.J. Cron will start at first base and hit second in his place while Rob Refsnyder gets the start at DH. Miller should be back in the lineup Sunday against righty Rick Porcello.
-
Mark Canha LF | TEX
Athletics' Mark Canha: Slugs two-run homer Friday
Canha went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer Friday in a win over the Astros.
Canha's homer came off starter Dallas Keuchel in the seventh inning and was the 29-year-old's fourth home run of the year. Canha had a nice eight-game hitting streak snapped Wednesday, and with Friday's hit his average now sits at .306 on the season. He has 11 RBI and 11 runs scored in 14 games, and with the absence of Boog Powell (knee), Canha has assumed regular playing time.
-
Michael Brantley LF | HOU
Indians' Michael Brantley: Goes 3-for-3 with home run
Brantley went 3-for-3 with a home run, a triple and two RBI in Friday's win over the Mariners.
Brantley finished a double short of the cycle Friday. He hit a solo shot in the first, a triple in the fifth, a single in the seventh, and even added a sacrifice fly for good measure. The 30-year-old outfielder has seven multi-hit performances in his last 11 games, bringing his average up to .344 on the season to go along with a .900 OPS.
-
Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Suffers mild ankle sprain Friday
Ohtani sustained a mild left ankle sprain and was removed from Friday's game against the Yankees.
Luis Valbuena pinch hit for Ohtani in the bottom of the seventh inning, as he apparently sustained the injury on his broken bat groundout in the fifth inning. The fact the Angels have already classified it as a mild sprain and listed him as day-to-day is a relatively good sign, but his lineup availability for the rest of the series against the Yankees is now in question, along with his next start on the mound, currently slated for Tuesday against the Orioles.
-
Shohei Ohtani DH | LAD
Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Batting fifth Friday
Ohtani will serve as the Angels' designated hitter and bat fifth against the Yankees on Friday.
Ohtani returns to the Angels lineup after receiving a few days of rest due to Tuesday's start on the mound and Thursday's off day. The 23-year-old should be available to hit in all three games of the weekend series against the Yankees, as he is next slated to start against the Orioles next Tuesday.
-
Jorge Soler DH | LAA
Royals' Jorge Soler: Homers, continues to get on base
Soler went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run, a walk and a strikeout in Thursday's loss to the White Sox.
Soler is walking at an elite clip -- 18.2 percent of the time -- this year, which has contributed greatly to a .416 OBP, the 17th highest in the league. He sports an inflated .375 BABIP, but the 26-year-old is showing improved power at the plate (six extra-base hits, two home runs in 61 at-bats), which is likely a result of swinging at better pitches.
-
Byron Buxton CF | MIN
Twins' Byron Buxton: Migraines gone but toe issue remains
Buxton's migraines went away a week ago but his sore left big toe remains a problem, the Star Tribune reports.
Buxton is eligible to return from the disabled list but remains unable to get back to game action after fouling a ball off his toe in a rehab game Sunday. He had to have a hole drilled in his left big toenail in order to reduce the pressure on the toe. The Twins would like him to get some at-bats in another rehab game or two but may skip that in order to get him back with the team. When exactly that will be possible remains unclear, however.
-
Brad Miller DH | SD
Rays' Brad Miller: Rare multi-hit effort Thursday
Miller went 2-for-5 with a double and two runs in a win over the Orioles on Thursday.
Miller finally notched his first multi-hit performance of the season in what was his 14th game overall. The struggling infielder vaulted his average over the Mendoza Line with the effort, which included his third extra-base hit of the season. Although his average remains an underwhelming .213, Miller has encouragingly hit safely in three of the five games he's played since coming off a disabled list stint due to a groin injury.
-
J.D. Martinez DH | NYM
Red Sox's J.D. Martinez: Hits fifth home run of season
Martinez went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run in Boston's 5-4 victory over Toronto on Thursday.
Martinez got off to a relatively slow start with his new club, but that can be considered a thing of the past as his fifth-inning blast off Marco Estrada brought his slash line up to .306/.351/.565 with five home runs and 18 RBI. He looks primed for another prolific power-hitting campaign coming off a 2017 season split between Detroit and Arizona in which he clubbed 45 home runs and slugged a ridiculous .690 in only 119 games.
-
Miguel Cabrera DH | DET
Tigers' Miguel Cabrera: Heads to bench for Game 2 of doubleheader
Cabrera is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Pirates.
Cabrera will get off for the second game of Wednesday's twin bill after going 4-for-6 with a pair of RBI and three runs scored in Game 1. Niko Goodrum will start at first base and hit cleanup in his stead.