MLB Player News

Martinez (neck) is back in the lineup Saturday against the Giants.

A bout of neck stiffness resulted in Martinez's scratch from Friday's lineup, but apparently the discomfort has already subsided. He's batting fifth against lefty Madison Bumgarner and Martinez has absolutely destroyed left-handed pitching this season (.402/.485/.939). Martinez is tied for third overall in home runs this year with 39 despite missing nearly six weeks at the start of the season with a foot injury.

Turner went 1-for-5 with a solo homer Friday against the Nationals.

Turner blasted his 20th homer of the season to give the Dodgers a first-inning lead they'd never relinquish. He's hit safely in all but two games this month, and he's been an elite fantasy option over the course of the season, as evidenced by his .325/.416/.539 slash line.

Martinez was scratched from Friday's game against the Giants with left neck stiffness.

At this point, it doesn't sound like the injury is serious. Consider Martinez day-to-day until the club provides a further update to his status. Martinez was replaced in the outfield by Gregor Blanco.

Blackmon is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Padres, Jenny Cavnar of AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain reports.

Blackmon tallied just one hit in 18 at-bats over his last five games, so manager Bud Black decided it was time to give him his first day off since June 17 -- a span of 76 games. Ian Desmond will man center field Friday in Blackmon's place.

Miller is out of Friday's lineup against the Red Sox.

The Rays face lefty Chris Sale so they will go with a righty-heavy lineup. Danny Espinosa, a switch hitter, will start at second base and hit ninth.

Buxton went 2-for-4 with his first career walk-off home run, a solo shot in the bottom of the 10th inning, in Thursday's win over Toronto.

Buxton has 10 home runs in his last 31 games and is hitting .322 over that span. He's finishing the year strong and having a remarkable turnaround after hitting just .216 with five home runs and a .594 OPS in the first half of the season.

Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a home run in Thursday's loss to the White Sox.

The 34-year-old's sudden and dramatic decline has made for one of the most surprising stories of the baseball season. He's still batting just .249/.331/.405 with 16 homers and 60 RBI after Thursday's output, but he's Miguel Cabrera and most owners don't have a better alternative. Hopefully he'll come on strong over the final couple weeks.

Martinez went 2-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs scored Thursday against the Rockies.

Six of Arizona's first seven batters got on base with Martinez being the lone exception, but he more than made up for that shortcoming by going deep in his next at-bat. The former Detroit slugger has now launched 23 home runs in 49 games with Arizona, which amounts to a 76-homer pace over a 162-game season. General manager Mike Hazen deserves a pat on the back for acquiring Martinez for pennies on the dollar prior to the trade deadline.

Canha went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles Thursday in Boston.

Both of Canha's doubles came with a man on first base, but the runner was held at third on both occasions. He's still sitting at just 10 runs and 11 RBI in 45 games this season, and is unlikely to move out of the bottom third of the batting order.

Stanton is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Phillies, Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald reports.

Stanton will get the day off as manager Don Mattingly rests the Marlins' entire starting outfield ahead of the team's weekend series against the Brewers. Despite a slow start to September, the 27-year-old slugger is still slashing an impressive .279/.375/.636 with 54 homers in 143 games. Look for him to be well rested for Friday's series opener in Milwaukee.