MLB Player News

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera was held out of the starting lineup Wednesday against the Indians for just the second time in 72 games this season. The only other time Cabrera wasn't in the starting lineup was May 25.

“Even Superman needs a day off,” manager Brad Ausmus said, per MLB.com. “It was just the timing. It’s a 12 o’clock game. There’s not many pitchers I look at the stat sheet and go, ‘Well, Miggy doesn’t hit him.’ I think David Price is the one he doesn’t hit, and he’s on his team. You never want Miggy out of the lineup, but you have to have a little bit of vision.”

Andrew Romine started in place of Cabrera, who has totaled multiple hits in three straight games. He has a .397/.494/.618/1.111 slash line in 19 June games. He also has three doubles, four home runs, 18 RBI, 14 runs and 13 walks this month.

Rockies center fielder Charlie Blackmon went 1 for 2 with two walks in Tuesday's win over Arizona. 

Blackmon doubled, his twelfth of the year, scored once and drove in his 31st run. 

Blackmon has now hit in seven straight games. He's hitting .407 with 1.240 OPS over the streak. 

The Phillies placed second baseman Chase Utley on the disabled list with inflammation in his right ankle, the team announced.

"It's hard to tell," Utley said, per MLB.com when asked how much the ankle has affected him at the plate. "Obviously, it's been bothering me for a little while. Most players have aches and pains through the year. So I'm not shocked with that. It's really showing no improvement. So I think it's a good time to get it right. We will have a cortisone shot tomorrow. We'll take a little time off and hopefully, that will get it squared away."

Utley has just four hits in his last 28 at-bats. The team will call up outfielder/first baseman Darin Ruf to replace Utley. Ruf is hitting .235 with three home runs and 10 RBI in 43 games this season for the Phillies.

Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen hit a two-run home run to help key a seven-run rally in Tuesday's win over Cincinnati. 

McCutchen went 2 for 3 with a walk. He hit his ninth homer of the year and added his 18th double. 

McCutchen ended a 13-game home run drought. 

Tigers left fielder Yoenis Cespedes drove in two runs in Tuesday's win over Cleveland. 

Cespedes went 1 for 4 with a run scored. He hit in his fifth straight game, going 7 for 18. He also scored and drove in a run for the third game in a row. 

Cespides has six RBI in the last three games and 41 on the season. 

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton blasted his 26th home run of the season in Tuesday night's 4-3 loss to the Cardinals. 

Stanton's home run in the first inning traveled an insane distance of 484 feet. The homer also scored Christian Yelich and gave the Marlins an early 2-0 lead. Stanton finished the game 1 for 3 and also drew a walk. 

Stanton is now hitting .306 over his past 10 games. His slash line for the season is .261/.343/.604. 

Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cubs. 

Turner has played in the past four games and this appears to be a day off. Alberto Callaspo will start in his spot and bat seventh. Callaspo is hitting .293/.383/.366 this season in 19 games and 47 plate appearances. 

Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter has arrived at the ballpark for 30 straight games and has seen his name on the lineup card every time.

But not Tuesday in Miami.

Carpenter is getting a rare break with Mark Reynolds set to play the spot instead. Manager Mike Matheny said he was looking to rest Carpenter, and the decision was made easier when Carpenter arrived to the ballpark dealing with mid-back tightness, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The former has been struggling a bit in June. He is batting .200 (9-for-45) over the last 15 games.

Tigers slugger J.D. Martinez has hit just about everyone since arriving in Detroit, but Indians right-hander and Tuesday starter Danny Salazar is not included. Martinez is 1-for-9 with seven strikeouts lifetime against Salazar, which is why he is out of the lineup.

Martinez went 0-for-4 Monday night to end a torrid streak highlighted by a three-homer explosion the day before. He is 13-for-37 over his last nine games.

Prior to Monday's game against the White Sox, Twins manager Paul Molitor moved rookie center fielder Byron Buxton into the leadoff spot in the lineup and said the experiment would likely last just one game because he liked the matchup against left-hander John Danks.

Well, Molitor might have to reconsider his plans since Buxton provided a spark atop the lineup in a 13-2 rout.

Buxton wasted little time making an impact, as he recorded his first career double in his first at-bat Monday. He went on to have his first multihit game, going 3 for 5 with three runs.

"I'm just glad Molitor had that much faith in me to put me in the leadoff spot," Buxton said, per MLB.com. "I just tried to relax and have fun."

Buxton now has four hits in his last two games after managing just two hits in his first seven games.

"It's got to feel good for him to get a multihit game and contribute and get a chance to lead off and score a run in the first inning," Molitor said. "So it was nice to see him respond with that challenge and be a part of the win."