MLB Player News

Cespedes aggravated his quad inning in his final at-bat Wednesday and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Cespedes has been trying to play through the injury for several weeks but finally will be shut down due to it. Brandon Nimmo, who was just sent down Tuesday, is being called back up to replace Cespedes on the 25-man roster.

Martinez (elbow) was activated from the 15-day DL but is not in the lineup Wednesday against the White Sox.

It was anticipated that he would be activated Wednesday, and while manager Brad Ausmus said Martinez is available to pinch hit, he also said he would prefer to give him the day off after the outfielder played two games in Toledo on Tuesday. Look for Martinez to get back in the Tigers' lineup Thursday against the White Sox.

The Pirates are expected to keep McCutchen on the bench for both Wednesday and Thursday, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Including Monday's off day, that would give the center fielder four full days of rest prior to Friday's home game against Cincinnati. Pittsburgh has to hope the time away gives McCutchen enough of a break to reset both on the field and off -- he was critical of the team's recent deadline deals.

As expected, Cespedes is hitting third as the designated hitter for the Mets on Wednesday.

Manager Terry Collins indicated on Tuesday that Cespedes would be the Mets' DH as they face the Yankees and Tigers on the road the next five games. This will give more time for Cespedes to rest his quad in the coming days.

Buxton (knee) remains out of the lineup Wednesday against the Indians, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

While Buxton was supposedly available to pinch hit in Tuesday's game, and manager Paul Molitor said he considered sending in his speedy center fielder as a pinch runner late in that game, he is still not ready to return to the lineup Wednesday. Given Buxton's injury history, there is no reason for the Twins to deploy him until he is 100 percent healthy. Eddie Rosario will get the start in center field while Danny Santana starts in left Wednesday.

Vargas is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Indians, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports.

Vargas is out of the lineup for the second consecutive game as Miguel Sano gets the start at DH. He has been decent since the All-Star break, hitting .250/.351/.396 with one home run and six RBI in 13 games.

McCutchen is out of Wednesday's lineup against the Braves, Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

McCutchen, who's gone just 4-for-21 (.190) over the last seven days, will sit out his second consecutive game. The Pirates will go with an outfield lineup of Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte, and Matt Joyce as they take on Rob Whalen and the Braves.

Miller was blindsided by the news that he will no longer be the everyday shortstop once the newly-acquired Matt Duffy (Achilles) is healthy, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times reports. "Extremely disappointed," Miller said. "Obviously, I'm a shortstop. I've been working hard and doing everything they ask and playing well there, and (Monday) was kind of a punch to the gut, them telling me he's our shortstop now."

Miller, who came over from the Mariners in the offseason, got off to a slow start in 2016 before considerably picking it up at the plate since mid-May. His 16 homers are a franchise record for a shortstop, but his .959 fielding percentage currently ranks last in the majors at the position. Miller will reportedly move to first base, but could also see time in the outfield. Manager Kevin Cash was reportedly blunt with the 26-year-old when informing of the move, essentially telling him that the team had a better chance to win with Duffy at shortstop. However, the Rays' skipper also emphasized that Miller's presence in the lineup is both valued and necessary. "We want Brad Miller in there every day," Cash said. "He provides a huge offensive spark for us, and we're not going to take away from that."

Harper (illness) is back in the lineup Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, Chase Hughes of CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

Harper was scratched from the lineup Tuesday due to illness, but he'll be back at his usual spot in right field Wednesday. The reigning NL MVP hasn't homered since July 20, and his season average has sunk to .235 after he ended last season with a .330 mark.

Brantley (shoulder) continues to be limited to taking swings in the batting cage but has been able to increase his volume of swings, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Indians are balancing the fact that they don't want to rush Brantley back versus the fact that the minor league seasons are coming to an end in a few weeks and his ability to head out on a rehab assignment to see some game action may be in jeopardy as a result. He continues to make progress but until he advances further in his rehab it's hard to pinpoint a potential return date.