MLB Player News

Buxton is not in Friday's lineup against the Blue Jays.

It seems that Buxton hasn't been 100 percent healthy since early in the season, and the Twins' approach has been to give him strategic rest days to manage his persistent lower-body issues. He is slashing .197/.281/.478 with 17 home runs and two steals in his last 62 games. Mark Contreras is starting in center field and batting eighth.

Lewis is not in Friday's lineup against the Angels.

Lewis is hitting .111 with one home run, 13 strikeouts and five walks in 12 games since coming off the injured list. Adam Frazier will start in right field while Abraham Toro starts at the keystone.

Solak was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Friday.

Solak was called up by Texas in mid-July and went 2-for-10 with a solo home run and a walk in seven games. The 27-year-old has a .208/.299/.338 slash line in 88 plate appearances this year. Brad Miller (neck) was activated from the 10-day injured list in a corresponding move.

Miller (neck) was activated from the 10-day injured list and will bat ninth as the designated hitter Friday versus the White Sox.

Miller has been sidelined the past few weeks by a strained neck but will rejoin the active roster Friday after a five-game rehab assignment in the minors. The 32-year-old had a miserable .357 OPS over his last 21 games before landing on the injured list and may not regain a regular spot in the lineup.

Canha will sit Friday against Atlanta.

The Mets' outfield got more crowded after the team added Tyler Naquin in late July, and it looks like that may be having a larger impact on Canha's playing time than previously expected. The last four games have all come against righties, and it's been Naquin getting the start in left field in three of them. Canha's .270/.366/.375 slash line remains strong, and he's not in any sort of significant slump, but his fantasy appeal may take a hit if he continues to find himself on the bench several times a week.

Cabrera will sit Friday against the Rays.

Reports from Thursday indicated that Cabrera would be limited to starting every other game for at least the next week while he manages lingering knee pain. The Tigers appear to be sticking to that plan so far. Cabrera's production has dipped this year, as his .268/.317/.332 line is good for a career-worst 85 wRC+, but he's due $32 million next season, so he has a strong incentive to hold off on retirement for one more year. Victor Reyes will be the designated hitter Friday.

Brantley (shoulder) said Wednesday he hasn't swung a bat since landing on the 10-day injured list June 28 and is without a timeline to resume doing so, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. "I don't want to put a timetable on [swinging a bat] because then I don't know if it's pushing too hard or not pushing hard enough. It's literally day by day," Brantley said.

Brantley's lack of meaningful progress in his recovery from the injury may have influenced the Astros' decision to acquire Trey Mancini from the Orioles prior to Tuesday's trade deadline. The fact that Brantley hasn't yet been moved to the 60-day injured list offers some hope that he'll be back in action by the second half of August, but a clearer target date for his return won't be established until he begins to ramp up his baseball activities.

Ohtani (forearm) went 3-for-5 with a pair of solo home runs in Thursday's 8-7 loss to the Athletics.

After exiting late in Wednesday's 3-1 loss with a forearm cramp, Ohtani showed enough improvement overnight to fill his usual spot in the lineup for Thursday's series finale as the Angels' designated hitter. The two-way standout was responsible for two of the Angels' seven solo long balls on the day, as Los Angeles became the sixth team in MLB history to hit that many home runs and still lose. Ohtani, who is now up to 24 home runs on the season, looks like he'll be able to serve as the Angels' everyday designated hitter until his next turn on the mound comes up Tuesday in Oakland.

Vogelbach went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Thursday's 6-4 win over Atlanta.

Vogelbach went back-to-back with Pete Alonso in the third inning. With a homer in each of the last two games, Vogelbach is starting to flex his power for the Mets. He's gone 10-for-30 (.333) in 10 contests since he was traded from the Pirates. For the season, the 29-year-old slugger is slashing .240/.354/.449 with 14 homers, 39 RBI, 33 runs scored and 12 doubles in 85 games between the two teams.

Harper (thumb) said Thursday he hopes to return from the injured list sometime in September, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Harper has been sidelined since undergoing surgery to repair a fractured left thumb in late June, and he's been hesitant to put a timeline on his return from the 10-day IL other than suggesting that he intends to play again in 2022. As Lauber notes, Harper had the pins removed from his left thumb Monday, and he was able to begin a throwing program Wednesday after the time on the shelf had allowed him to heal up from the torn ligament in his right elbow that had limited him to designated-hitter duties since mid-April. Harper looks like he'll have a chance to complete his throwing program and resume an everyday role in right field once he's activated, but he'll still likely require a few weeks to ramp back up from both the elbow injury and thumb surgery.