MLB Player News

The injury that forced Cabrera to leave Friday's game has been diagnosed as a right groin strain and he will be reevaluated Saturday.

It turns out this injury was unrelated to the back injury that plagued Cabrera earlier the month. Whether or not that's a good sign remains to be seen. More serious groin strains can take weeks to fully heal, but this one may be mild enough for Cabrera to play through the pain. Expect more relevant information -- like whether or not the injury will require a trip to the 10-day DL -- before Saturday's 2:10 PM Eastern start time.

Cabrera was pinch-hit for in the seventh inning and was seen heading back to the tunnel with an unknown injury, Evan Woodbery of MLive reports.

Cabrera has been dealing with a back injury this month, and there is some speculation that it may have flared up during the game. We'll monitor his status as the night continues; for now, consider him day-to-day.

Soler (oblique) will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

It seems that the former Cub prospect is on the verge of returning to the big leagues, although he'll need to prove his worth quickly once he makes his season debut. Jorge Bonifacio was just called up from the minors after a strong start to the season, so the 25-year-old Soler will need to show improvement after batting just .238 as a semi-regular member of Chicago's outfield last season.

Buxton went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in Thursday's loss to Cleveland. Despite hitting just .082 with 24 strikeouts in 49 at-bats, manager Paul Molitor said he's not ready to send him to the minors. "We're not at that point, so I don't want to waste too much time talking about that, but obviously it's not an unexpected question because people are going to wonder," Molitor told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Buxton has been playing outstanding defense in center field, but he'll need to improve at the plate to stay in the majors and avoid another trip to Triple-A. He's just 1-for-15 with five strikeouts in his last six games.

Cabrera went 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and two RBI in Wednesday's loss to the Rays.

Cabrera went hitless in the first four games of the season, but since then he's slashing .273/.351/.576. Look for Cabrera to continue to heat up as May approaches.

Ramirez is off to a slow start at Double-A New Hampshire, hitting just .103 (3-for-29) through his first eight games.

The Jays' No. 4 outfield prospect impressed at Double-A for the Pirates organization last season before coming over to the Jays. One game into his time with the Fisher Cats, Ramirez suffered a knee injury that ended his year. The 22-year-old is expected to be MLB ready in the not too distant future, but Ramirez will certainly need to do well in 2017 if he plans to stay on track. His 34 percent strikeout rate (and three percent walk rate) offers an obvious indicator of what the Colombian native lacks -- plate discipline.

Martinez (foot) is scheduled to take batting practice Wednesday and is expected to begin running on the field Friday, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Martinez still looks to be a week or more away from being activated from the disabled list, but the on-field running marks an important step in the recovery process for the outfielder. Since suffering the mid-foot sprain in a March 18 Grapefruit League game, Martinez had been limited to running on a treadmill, so once he's able to show his mobility won't be an issue while covering the field, the Tigers might be able to flesh out a more defined return date. Because he's missed more than a month with the injury, Martinez will eventually require bulk at-bats during simulated games at extended spring training before his activation.

Cabrera went 1-for-4 with his third home run Tuesday, representing the entirety of the Detroit offense in a 5-1 loss at Tampa Bay.

After getting off to a 3-for-28 start without a single extra-base hit, Miggy has awoken with a five-game hitting streak that's seen him go 7-for-17 with three homers, a double and seven RBI. His stats still haven't caught up to their normal levels, but that's just a matter of time. Cabrera may be 34, but he's still one of the game's top hitters. It seems like the back pain that forced him out of Sunday's game is a non-issue, which is a relief.

Cabrera (back) is starting at first base and hitting third in Tuesday's game against the Rays, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Cabrera left Sunday's game with back pain and received treatment to help alleviate the soreness Monday, as the Tigers had the day off. Cabrera, who's slashing an uncharacteristic .220/.347/.390, will look to improve as the Tigers take on a Tampa Bay squad that's starting the right-handed Matt Andriese.

Brantley went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI in Monday's 3-1 win over the Twins.

It was Brantley's second home run of the season, and the outfielder is now slashing .268/.348/.463 with two steals, eight RBI and four runs in 46 plate appearances. The Tribe is keeping him rested by sitting him against select left-handed pitchers after he played in just 11 games in 2016 due to a shoulder injury. The good news is that the 29-year-old looks fully healthy and should provide solid numbers across the board for fantasy owners who took the plunge on him. After all, he's just three years removed from a .327-20-97 season.