MLB Player News

Vargas is hitting .240/.340/.391 with seven home runs at Triple-A Rochester. After hitting just .190 in April, Vargas hit .280 in May with six home runs.

He's struggled this season against lefties by going just 5-for-57 even though he's never had huge platoon splits in his minor league career. He has an .884 OPS against righties. With a crowded first base and DH situation in the majors, Vargas is likely to spend almost all season at Triple-A.

Miller went 3-for-5 with a double, triple and a run in Tuesday's loss to the Royals.

For the third time this month, Miller was just a home run away from notching a cycle. After having four triples in each of the last two seasons, the shortstop now has three this year. He finished May hitting .272/.337/.494, which is much better than the .185/.254/.354 he posted in the season's first month.

Buxton will start in center field and bat ninth Tuesday against the A's, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

With Danny Santana (hamstring) landing back on the DL, Buxton has returned to the big-league roster, and he appears poised to serve as the regular center fielder in Santana's absence. The 22-year-old exploded for a .336/.403/.603 line with Triple-A Rochester following his demotion (11:26 BB:K), but it looks like he will be stuck batting ninth for the foreseeable future with Eduardo Nunez and Brian Dozier occupying the top two spots in the order.

Stanton (side) remains out of the lineup Tuesday against the Pirates, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Stanton will miss a seventh consecutive game as he continues to nurse some discomfort in his side. The Marlins believe he's close to a return, however, with reports surfacing earlier in the week suggesting Stanton would likely be back sometime during the team's current series. Miami faces Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Thursday before beginning a three-game set with the Mets on Friday night.

Harper (knee) is not in the Nationals' lineup Tuesday against Philadelphia, Mark Zuckerman of MASN reports.

Harper took a pitch off of his right knee Monday and exited the game with what the team would later diagnose as a contusion. While Harper is not expected to miss significant time, he'll sit Tuesday as the Nationals attempt to avoid turning a minor injury into something that could linger. Washington will go with an outfield of Clint Robinson, Ben Revere and Jayson Werth on Tuesday.

Goins appears to be the top candidate from the Jays infield to be sent to the minors once Troy Tulowitzki (quad) returns from the 15-day DL, the Toronto Star reports.

The team's infield is simply overcrowded with the return of Devon Travis, and manager John Gibbons is going to have to trim the group. When spring training began, Goins was the starting second baseman, an important part of a returning starting lineup that produced a MLB high in runs scored the season before. However, the 28-year-old has struggled immensely this season as he's slashing just .165/.211/.289 through 129 plate appearances.

Brantley (shoulder) remains limited to non-contact swings and light hitting off a tee, MLB.com reports.

The Indians are taking a cautious approach with Brantley to avoid another setback once he's able to return. He's been sidelined since May 10 and a return doesn't appear imminent.

Harper was diagnosed with a right knee contusion Monday, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports.

Harper was hit by a pitch during Monday's game against the Phillies. He remained in the game for a bit, but when his knee stiffened up, Nationals manager Dusty Baker removed Harper from the game as a precautionary measure. For now, he's considered day-to-day.

Harper exited Monday's game against the Phillies after taking a pitch to the right knee area, CSN Mid-Atlantic reports.

Harper was hit by a Jeremy Hellickson fastball and initially remained in the game. However, after being thrown out in a double play, he departed the field and headed to the clubhouse, with Chris Heisey taking his place in right field. The Nationals haven't released an update on Harper's status, so consider the reigning MVP day-to-day until further notice.

Blackmon went 1-for-5 with a solo home run on Monday against the Reds.

Blackmon has been seeing the ball well all month for the Rockies. The outfielder has hit safely in eight straight games, recording six extra-base hits in that span. After hitting .250 in April, Blackmon has busted out with a .315 average this month. His recent production is more in line with what Blackmon contributed each of the past two seasons.