MLB Player News

Twins designated hitter Kennys Vargas went 2 for 5 with a home run and three RBI in his team's 11-4 win over the White Sox Wednesday.

Vargas has been on a roll recently, homering in back-to-back games while going 9 for 26 over his current six-game hitting streak. He grabbed an RBI on a fifth-inning single before smacking a two-run home run one inning later. Vargas has hit .319/.340/.511 with six home runs and 31 RBI in 135 at-bats. Despite the high rate stats, he still owns an ugly 37:4 K:BB ratio.

The most notable part of Joc Pederson's first major-league start Tuesday is that it came with this comment from manager Don Mattingly:

"The one thing about Joc that everyone in the organization is pretty much in concert with is, this guy is our best defensive center fielder," Mattingly told the Los Angeles Times. "He's probably the only true center fielder we have at this point."

Pederson was filling in for a slumping Yasiel Puig then, but sure enough, even with Puig's return to the lineup, there he was again in center field Wednesday against the Nationals. Puig had moved over to right.

It's a big deal because, as I pointed out in my latest post to the Fantasy Baseball Today blog, Pederson was a George Springer-level offensive force at Triple-A Albuquerque prior to his promotion, batting .303 with 33 homers, 30 steals and a 1.017 OPS in 445 at-bats. Hitter-friendly league or not, those numbers are intimidating.

If his glove keeps him in the lineup, he could end up making a big contribution in Fantasy. Certainly in five-outfielder leagues, he's well worth a flier.

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 4 with a solo home run in his team's 4-3 loss to the Mets Wednesday.

After struggling at the end of August, Stanton's bat has heated up with the turn of the calendar, and he's now homered in three straight games to open the month. He has hit .295/.402/.566 with 36 home runs, 102 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 512 at-bats.

Royals infielder Christian Colon is dealing with a fractured finger, according to FoxSports.

Colon injured himself during the second inning Tuesday. He remained in the game initially, but was forced out to begin the fourth inning. Colon recorded a sacrifice bunt in his only appearance. 

Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton went 2 for 4 with a double and a two-run home run in his team's 8-6 loss to the Mets Tuesday.

Stanton has homered in two straight games against the Mets to increase his National League HR lead to five blasts. He has hit .293/.401/.561 with 35 home runs, 101 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 508 at-bats, and with no one running away with the NL batting title, the outfielder has an outside shot at chasing a Triple Crown with a big September.

The Royals added infielder Christian Colon , outfielder Terrance Gore and pitchers Liam Hendriks and Aaron Crow from Double-A Northwest Arkansas Tuesday, the team announced. 

The Blue Jays added nine players to the active roster Tuesday as a result of the expanded rosters, the team announced.

The team reinstated pitcher Brandon Morrow and infielder Dan Johnson from the disabled list Tuesday, while adding seven other players from the minors. They are: Ryan Goins, Anthony Gose, Kendall Graveman, Sean Nolin, Daniel Norris, Dalton Pompey and George Kottaras .

Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez went 2 for 4 with a walk and a solo home run in his team's 12-1 win over the Indians Monday.

Martinez combined with Victor Martinez on back-to-back home runs in the third inning to put the Tigers up 5-1 before the offense combined for seven runs in the final three innings. The outfielder has hit .307/.348/.550 with 18 home runs and 60 RBI in 349 at-bats.

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera exploded offensively Monday, going 4 for 5 with two home runs and three RBI in his team's 12-1 win over the Indians.

Cabrera kicked off the scoring with a two-run home run in the first inning and tacked on a solo shot in the eighth. He hadn't homered since Aug. 2 before Monday, and it was his first multi-homer game of the season. Cabrera has hit .304/.367/.501 with 19 home runs and 94 RBI in 513 at-bats.

Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen went 2 for 5 with a solo home run in his team's 5-4 loss to the Cardinals Monday.

McCutchen put his team up 4-2 with his seventh-inning blast, but the Cardinals were able to cross the plate three times in the bottom of the seven to pull out a win. McCutchen owns a .308/.401/.539 line with 21 home runs, 72 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 458 at-bats.