MLB Player News

Brantley (ankle) will begin defensive drills Friday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic Cleveland reports.

Brantley is working his way back from October ankle surgery. He has taken part in hitting, throwing and running drills this spring but hasn't yet done defensive work, which will be a greater test of his lateral mobility. The 30-year-old outfielder is questionable for Opening Day, but if reports are positive following his defensive work he has a decent chance to be ready to go by the start of the season.

Miller (toe) won't return to game action until Tuesday at the earliest, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He has a broken right pinky toe, but could return next week. Miller is the favorite to open the year as the Rays' starting second baseman, but it's possible that three natural second basemen will make the Rays' bench (Ryan Schimpf, Joey Wendle, Daniel Robertson). Things will get even more muddled when the team is ready to promote top shortstop prospect Willy Adames and infielder Christian Arroyo. Miller hit 30 homers in 2016, but given the competition he'll face, a return to the 601 plate appearances he saw during his career year seems highly unlikely.

Reed went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Wednesday's game against Minnesota.

Reed got the start at first base on the day it was announced Yulieski Gurriel underwent surgery on his left hand. Reed is one of several players in competition to fill in for Gurriel, who is expected to be out until at least mid-to-late April. Being that it's a hand injury and understanding his swing could be impacted, that timeline could push into May. Reed has the body and the bat to be a first baseman, but his MLB track record is wanting. In the coming weeks, expect to see Tyler White and J.D. Davis get time at first, although when Houston breaks camp, there's a good chance Marwin Gonzalez will be the primary starter at first.

Reed could see regular playing time at first base to start the season following the news of Yulieski Gurriel's hand surgery, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic Houston reports.

Reed mashed 34 homers at Triple-A Fresno last season, but he only appeared in the majors for two games, going 0-for-6 in those contests. This could've been big news for him given the potency of the rest of Houston's lineup, but expectations should be tempered. Gurriel is only expected to miss the first couple weeks of the season, so Reed probably wouldn't even get that much extra playing time. Additionally, J.D. Davis and Tyler White are also competing for the spot, making it even tougher for Reed to make an impact.

Jimenez (knee) is expected to compete in a full capacity Thursday after spending Wednesday doing hitting drills, Daryl Van Schouwen of The Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Jimenez has been dealing with a little left knee soreness that cropped up earlier this week, but he's been able to complete field work and continue hitting over the past couple days. It doesn't appear as though the club is too concerned with this ailment and it's expected that he will be able to play in Cactus League games in the near future.

Jimenez (knee) completed some field work without issue Tuesday, James Fegan of The Athletic Chicago reports.

The top prospect seems to be progressing nicely from the knee soreness that emerged Monday, as he's hit and fielded since reports of an injury emerged. Jimenez is expected to get Wednesday off in an effort to proceed cautiously with his rehab program, but it doesn't seem like this is too serious of an issue at this point. It's worth monitoring over the course of spring training.

Vogelbach (foot) is serving as the designated hitter and batting fourth Tuesday against the Royals, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.

As expected, Vogelbach is set to return to action after missing the past couple of games with a bruised foot. The issue was never thought to be anything overly serious, and he'll likely return to playing the field Wednesday.

Miller is out for a few days with a broken right pinky toe, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Miller was able to take some groundballs Monday but is not very mobile at the moment. The injury isn't expected to keep him out long. The 28-year-old infielder is in a battle for playing time after the Rays acquired C.J. Cron, so any lost time this spring could hurt him in his quest for regular at-bats this season.

Jimenez is dealing with minor left knee soreness, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The injury doesn't appear to be serious, but the White Sox are being cautious with their highly-touted outfield prospect. He hit Monday, and could be back in game action soon. The ailment is unlikely to have any impact on his ability to make the big-league roster, which he is very unlikely to do anyway, given that he's only played 18 games at the Double-A level.

Martinez and the Red Sox have officially signed the contract Monday, which they appeared to have agreed upon one week prior, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports.

The terms of the deal are reportedly unchanged. Boston was apparently extra thorough in its medical evaluation, but did not uncover anything which would cause the team to rework the deal. Both sides also worked to add extra protective contract language to the contract over the weekend, but the basic structure of the deal (five years, $110 million with opt-outs after the second and third seasons) remains the same.