MLB Player News

Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer, his second of the season, and walked twice in Friday's triumph over Cleveland.

Cleveland's starter, Trevor Bauer, was evading damage through four innings before Cabrera opened the flood gates. His three-run blast in the fifth frame gave the slugger homers on back-to-back nights. The deep fly also earned Cabrera his 1,557 career RBI, pushing him past Willie McCovey and into 44th in MLB history.

Brantley is not in the lineup Friday against the Tigers.

Brantley has been a staple in the three-hole this season, but with left-hander Daniel Norris taking the mound for Detroit, manager Terry Francona decided it was a good time for the outfielder's second night off of the season. Brandon Guyer will take over in left field and bat third in his stead.

Collins, 22, is 8-for-24 (.333) with one home run and two RBI through seven games for High-A Winston-Salem.

Collins has shown superb plate discipline to begin the 2017 campaign, racking up just as many walks as strikeouts (six). While scouts question his ability to stay at catcher, there is little question about his hitting prowess, most notably his power potential and advanced approach at the dish.

Brantley went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's loss to the White Sox.

It had been 581 days since the embattled outfielder hit his last MLB home run in September of 2015. Brantley extended his RBI streak to four games Thursday while making it his sixth game in eight starts this year with a run driven in. It should be noted that the 29-year-old also struck out twice against the South Siders, raising Brantley's strikeout rate to 31 percent through 29 at-bats.

For the second straight night, Goins entered as a late-game defensive replacement at third base, but did not receive an at-bat, in Thursday's contest against Baltimore.

The biggest news of the night is that the Jays' regular third baseman, Josh Donaldson, exited the affair early after reaggrevating his right calf injury. Donaldson has already missed time this season due to the calf issue, and now he faces a real possibility of being placed on the DL. Under that circumstance, Goins would move up the depth chart. And although Darwin Barney is likely to fill in for Donaldson on most nights, Goins would become the club's super-utility man and would certainly see an uptick in playing time under that circumstance.

Lewis (knee) took swings off a tee for the first time since knee surgery Thursday, Lewis said on Twitter.

It's good to see the Mariners' top prospect return to baseball activities, as it seems like his rehab is going as planned. Lewis still has a ways to go in his recovery, but at this point in time, he still seems to be on pace for a mid-July return.

Tigers general manager Al Avila said Martinez (foot) "should be playing in games in the next few days," MLB Network Radio reports.

The team previously said that Martinez likely won't require a full 20-day rehab assignment, so if he starts rehabbing soon, he could be back with the Tigers before the end of the month. His return will cut into the playing time of Tyler Collins and Mikie Mahtook, and it could possibly send JaCoby Jones to Triple-A for regular at-bats.

Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said Cabrera will get his first rest day of the season soon, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Cabrera is in Thursday's lineup against Twins starter Phil Hughes, who he's hitting .432/.457/1.000 against in his career with six home runs. However, look for the slugger to likely get a day off during the upcoming weekend series in Cleveland.

Buxton is in the Twins' lineup Thursday, batting ninth and playing center field.

Flyball pitcher Phil Hughes takes the mound on Thursday, which probably prompted Minnesota to reinsert the struggling Buxton for defensive purposes after only a one-day breather. The experiment of hitting him third likely was ill-advised and looks to be over, as they hope he'll fix the struggles he displayed during his 2-for-29 start (with 17 strikeouts) with less pressure on him. There's still plenty to like about the 23-year-old's season-long -- and career -- potential, but he'll need to climb out of this hole to increase the optimism over his fantasy value.

Soler (oblique) is expected to take batting practice this weekend, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

An oblique strain forced Soler to the DL to begin the 2017 season, but he's seemingly close to beginning a rehab assignment. Perhaps the Royals will assign Soler to a minor-league affiliate early next week if all goes well this weekend. Soler struggled during spring training (7-for-49 with 18 strikeouts), but he's expected to have an everyday job in right field waiting for him upon activation.