MLB Player News

Jimenez injured his leg during Wednesday's game in the Dominican Winter League, Phil Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Jimenez apparently tweaked his leg while running the bases in Wednesday's game with Gigantes del Cibao of the Dominican Winter League. The injury isn't considered serious and the top prospect shouldn't be sidelined for too long. Jimenez is off to a strong start this winter, hitting .367 with three home runs and a 1.090 OPS in 49 at-bats.

Brantley (ankle) will remain with the Indians next year after the team decided to pick up his $12 million option for 2018, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Brantley underwent ankle surgery a couple of weeks ago, which could wind up causing him to miss the beginning of spring training, but it appears as though Cleveland isn't too worried about his status. The team elected to retain Brantley's services for another season, which will come after a rough couple of injury-plagued campaigns in 2016 and 2017. Although he only played in 90 regular-season games this past season, he did slash .299/.357/.444 with nine home runs and 52 RBI, giving the team confidence that if he can get healthy, the 30-year-old can be a weapon in 2018.

Miller underwent core muscle surgery in October, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Miller underwent the surgery multiple weeks ago but the specifics of the procedure weren't revealed until Thursday. The surgery was performed to address issues in Miller's groin and lower abdominals, two areas that caused the veteran infielder a lot of trouble during the regular season. The surgery carries with it a six-week rehab time, so Miller should be back to full health when spring training rolls around.

An MRI on Lewis' knee revealed no new structural damage, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Lewis, who was playing in the Arizona Fall League, was sent back to Seattle to visit team doctors after he felt something in his structurally repaired knee during one of the games. Thankfully it wasn't anything serious, though the Mariners won't send him back to the AFL as they believe he would benefit more from extra rehab and strength work. The highly regarded 22-year-old will look to head into 2018 fully healthy after appearing in just 38 games with High-A Modesto last season due to a lingering knee issue, hitting .255/.323/.403.

Brantley will miss the next 4-to-5 months after undergoing right ankle surgery Wednesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Although Brantley appeared on the ALDS roster against the Yankees -- and recorded a decent amount of at-bats -- the outfielder needed surgery to stabilize the ligaments in his ankle ahead of next season. This places him on a timetable to optimistically return to full baseball activities right around the start of spring training. Cleveland also needs to decide whether to pick up his $12 million club option for 2018, or buy him out for $1 million, which will have to be decided three days after the World Series concludes.

Brantley is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Yankees for Game 5 of the ALDS.

With Edwin Encarnacion back in the lineup after missing a couple games due to an ankle injury, Brantley will occupy a spot on the bench as CC Sabathia takes the mound for New York. Brantley may enter the fray at some point during Wednesday's game, but it appears as though he will remain in a reserve role throughout the rest of the playoffs as long as the regulars stay healthy.

Tests revealed Buxton did not suffer a fractured rib following a collision with the outfield wall during Tuesday's wild-card game against the Yankees, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

While an earlier report indicated Buxton was dealing with a cracked rib, Saturday's test results seem to indicate otherwise, which is encouraging news. He should be able to resume his normal offseason work after a short recovery.

Buxton played through a cracked rib after crashing into the outfield wall during Tuesday's wild-card game against the Yankees, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports.

Although Buxton was officially removed with upper-back tightness, it appears as though the center fielder instead suffered a cracked rib while making a spectacular play to rob Todd Frazier of extra bases. Since the Twins have been eliminated from the playoffs, this injury shouldn't have any fantasy impact, but it will just mean a longer recovery for Buxton. He will be good to go for spring training.

Brantley is an option to start in left field for Game 3 of the ALDS on Sunday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Brantley is going to partake in a workout during the team's off day Saturday, which will likely determine manager Terry Francona's lineup decision for Game 3 in New York. The outfielder has essentially been out since early August due to an ankle injury, although he was able to see some action during the final weekend of the regular season. Looking forward, there will be an update on his status following Saturday's workout session. He is available off the bench as a pinch hitter in the meantime.

Brantley is not in the lineup against the Yankees on Friday.

Brantley will remain on the bench for Game 2 of the ALDS while Austin Jackson draws the start in left field. There hasn't been any word on how manager Terry Francona plans to use Brantley, but it appears as though he will be deployed as a pinch hitter for the time being.