MLB Player News

Brantley is out of the lineup for Thursday's ALDS tilt with the Yankees.

Brantley was recently activated from the DL (ankle) on Saturday, and received a little time on the field in the last two regular-season games prior to the beginning of the playoffs. It's clear that the 30-year-old is still recovering from an injury that cost him 52 games dating back to Aug. 9, and is not completely ready to return to the lineup at this point. In his place, Lonnie Chisenhall will patrol left field and bat seventh in the order for Game 1 of the series.

Buxton, who suffered from upper-back tightness in the Twins' loss to the Yankees in the American League wild-card game Tuesday, will likely undergo further tests in the days to come, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton sustained the injury upon slamming into the wall while making a catch and was lifted from the game after three innings. With the Twins returning to Minnesota on Wednesday, Buxton will be reexamined by team doctors to determine if the outfielder is dealing with anything more than tightness heading into the offseason. Buxton didn't express much concern about the injury after the game, so for now, the expectation remains that he'll enter spring training at full health. Thanks largely to a big second half, Buxton ended up improving his all-around production in 2017, slashing .253/.314/.413 with 16 home runs, 51 RB1, 69 runs and a 29-for-30 success rate on stolen bases.

Buxton left Tuesday's wild-card game against the Yankees with an undisclosed injury, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Buxton collided with the wall while making a catch during the second inning and is now dealing with some lingering discomfort. While specifics on the injury haven't been released, Buxton was replaced by Zack Granite in center field to start the bottom of the fourth inning.

Vogelbach went 2-for-2 with an RBI double in Sunday's season-ending 6-2 loss to the Angels.

The burly infielder saw just 11 at-bats since being called up from Triple-A Tacoma on Sept. 5, hitting safely in three of them. Vogelbach had initially been slated to start the regular season in a platoon at first base with veteran Danny Valencia, but a rough spring played a part in those plans being scuttled. He spent the majority of the campaign with the Rainiers, where he generated a solid .290/.388/.455 line with 42 extra-base hits (25 doubles, 17 home runs) and 83 RBI over 541 plate appearances. Vogelbach figures to get another long look in spring training, particularly with Valencia and fellow veteran Yonder Alonso both currently unsigned for next season.

Cabrera (back) is out of the lineup Sunday against the Twins.

With the Tigers out of playoff contention, there's no reason for them to jeopardize Cabrera's health in Sunday's season finale. Efren Navarro will start at first base and hit fifth while Cabrera's disappointing season comes to an end. Over 130 games, he hit 16 home runs, registered 60 RBI and posted a .249 batting average and .728 OPS. This marked the first time since 2008 that Cabrera owned a batting average below .300, and his 60 RBI were the fewest of his career.

Miller isn't in the lineup Sunday against Baltimore.

Miller had a great game Saturday as he went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. However, he'll sit out the season finale while Trevor Plouffe starts at second base. Miller had quite a down year, as he compiled a bleak .201 batting average and nine home runs over 110 games.

Brantley, who was activated from the DL on Saturday, is not in the lineup against the White Sox.

He has been out since Aug. 8 with an ankle injury, but is apparently not quite ready to return to the starting nine. Brantley is presumably available off the bench, while Lonnie Chisenhall gets the start in left field.

Buxton is out of Saturday's lineup against the Tigers, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The Twins will give Buxton the day off for the second time in the last three games, which suggests he might be dealing with some general soreness and they want to get him as fresh as possible for the wild-card game. Zack Granite is starting in center field and leading off.

Cabrera (back) is out of the lineup Saturday against the Twins.

He will miss his sixth straight game with a back issue, and at this point it would be surprising if the Tigers brought Cabrera back for the season finale Sunday. Efren Navarro will start at first base and hit cleanup.

Brantley (ankle) was reinstated from the disabled list prior to Saturday's game against the White Sox.

Brantley will only have a few days to push for a spot on the ALDS playoff roster, and it remains to be seen whether he will be able to take the field for either of this weekend's contests, although the team is hoping to get him in there. The outfielder has been out since Aug. 8 while recovering from an ankle injury and has only played in 88 games this season to go along with just 11 in 2016. Brantley is slashing .299/.358/.445 with nine home runs and 52 RBI in 2017.