MLB Player News

Brantley is not in the lineup Friday against the Mariners.

Brantley will head to the bench after his 10-game hitting streak came to an end Thursday against the Astros. Brandon Guyer is batting third and playing left field in his stead.

Soler (oblique) will not be activated from the disabled list Friday and will continue a rehab assignment through May 10, Rustin Dodd of The Kansas City Star reports.

Royals GM Dayton Moore said the 25-year-old will spend some extra time with Triple-A Omaha "to get some at-bats and get caught up." Soler began a minor-league rehab assignment last Friday, 26 days after sustaining a Grade 1 oblique strain during the final week of spring training. Moore also noted that the club would like to see him log more innings playing the field, pointing out that he missed valuable time late in camp due to the ailment. Jorge Bonifacio will continue filling in until Soler is ready to return.

Colon is 1-for-11 with three strikeouts and a walk to begin the season.

Colon is simply a utilityman destined for plenty of bench time, given that he no longer has any options to the minors. The Royals infield seems pretty set, with Whit Merrifield, Cheslor Cuthbert and Raul Mondesi Jr. all essentially ahead of him on the second-base depth chart. Once Jorge Soler (oblique) returns from the DL, which does not seem imminent, questions regarding Colon's future with the Royals will definitely come to the forefront.

Martinez (foot) took live batting practice Wednesday and will play in an extended spring training game when ready, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The outfielder probably won't return until sometime in early May, at earliest, considering this timetable. Martinez may need a brief rehab assignment before activation.

Brantley went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and three RBI in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Astros.

He now has a 10-game hitting streak, over which Brantley is batting .381 (16-for-42) with four homers, nine RBI, 11 runs and two steals. After a lost 2016, the 29-year-old looks completely healthy and back in top form.

Manager Brad Ausmus reiterated Wednesday that he believes Cabrera (groin) will be ready to be activated from the DL on May 2, when first eligible, the Detroit News' Chris McCosky reports.

This has been the theme throughout Cabrera's stay on the DL, and his status continues to trend upward. He did infield drills Wednesday. In the meantime, John Hicks is starting at first base and hitting sixth against lefty James Paxton.

Vogelbach is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Tigers, MLB.com's Greg Johns reports.

Though the Mariners are without two key position players Wednesday in Mitch Haniger (oblique) and Kyle Seager (hip), manager Scott Servais is reluctant to expose Vogelbach to left-handed pitching, so the rookie will sit with southpaw Daniel Norris on the bump for the Tigers. Danny Valencia, who occupies the smaller side of a platoon with Vogelbach, will draw the start at first base and bat sixth in the order.

Soler (oblique) is 4-for-17 with two home runs, four RBI and a 2:5 BB:K through five rehab games with Triple-A Omaha.

Soler hit his second homer with Omaha on Tuesday, a solo shot in the first inning off Odrisamer Despaigne. Manager Ned Yost did not offer up a possible return date for Soler when asked Tuesday, according to Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star, but it would not be a surprise if the team was to activate Soler this weekend or early next week. The Royals could use a jolt on offense, as they currently rank dead last in the majors in runs scored (52).

Brantley went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Tuesday's loss to the Astros.

Brantley's fourth homer of the season, and second in as many contests, extended his hitting streak to nine games. Since April 13, the outfielder is slashing .368/.429/.737 with all four of his bombs, seven RBI and 10 runs. It's safe to say Brantley is back to being the elite player that he was before 2016's lost campaign.

Buxton went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in Tuesday's 8-1 win over the Rangers.

Perhaps most importantly, he didn't strike out. Buxton's now 4-for-11 over his last four games with a 3:4 BB:K, but he'll need to keep working on his contact skills and plate discipline to significantly improve his dreadful .379 OPS.