MLB Player News

Brantley (ankle) was the designated hitter in a minor-league game Wednesday but did not run the bases, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports.

Although he has yet to run the bases, it seems like Brantley's rehab program is being fast-tracked a bit. The embattled outfielder partook in outfield drills Thursday and is "doing terrific" according to manager Terry Francona. No timetable for his return was revealed, but things appear to be looking up.

Miller (toe) will play in a minor-league game Thursday at Port Charlotte and is expected to get four or five at-bats, Bill Chastain of MLB.com reports.

It's a positive step for the infielder, who's missed all but the opening game of spring with his broken right pinkie toe. Miller's status is likely to be updated following Thursday's game action, but manager Kevin Cash has already stated he's expecting the 28-year-old to be ready by Opening Day.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said Tuesday that Miller (toe) would be sidelined for another 4-to-5 days before returning to Grapefruit League play, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Miller made his spring debut Feb. 23 but hasn't seen any action since while recovering from a broken right pinkie toe. Despite Miller's lack of at-bats to date, Cash suggested that the extended absence won't affect the 28-year-old's availability for Opening Day. Even if that proves to be the case, Miller will have some ground to make up against his competitors for the starting role at second base over the rest of spring training. Joey Wendle, Micah Johnson and Daniel Robertson have all impressed with on-base marks above .400 in exhibition play, though none of those players offer as much fantasy upside as Miller, who has a 30-homer campaign and a season of double-digit steals on his resume.

Jimenez was optioned to Double-A Birmingham on Wednesday.

This was an expected move. Over four appearances in the Cactus League this spring, he went 4-for-7 with two home runs, one triple and three RBI. Jimenez, one of the game's top prospects, battled a knee injury over the first few weeks of camp, but he's at full health heading into the regular season.

Ohtani will make his second start of the Cactus League on Friday against the Rockies, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reporrs.

Since giving up a run over 1.1 innings in his professional debut Feb. 24 against the Brewers, Ohtani has seen time at designated hitter for the Angels in the Cactus League while making two starts off the mound against minor-league batters. Friday's outing will mark Ohtani's toughest test to date, as he'll face higher-caliber competition and likely work up to 50 pitches.

Stanton appears to be the Yankees' preferred choice at cleanup hitter, as he has primarily hit fourth this spring while Aaron Judge hits second and Greg Bird hits third.

When Bird has been out of the lineup, Stanton has moved up to the three hole with Gary Sanchez hitting cleanup, but Bird figures to start most games, particularly against righties, so Stanton's primary spot will likely be the four hole. He is hitting .333/.391/.667 with one home run, four strikeouts and one walk in 21 at-bats this spring. The only question with Stanton is how many games he will play, as he should provide elite counting stat production when healthy.

Jimenez had a home run and a triple in Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.

After being slowed by a knee injury over the first few weeks of spring, Jimenez made a big splash over the weekend. He homered as a pinch-hitter Saturday, then followed up with two extra-base hits and a walk Sunday. While it looks like Jimenez is ready for the majors, the highly regarded prospect is expected to open the season at Double-A Birmingham.

Cabrera will hit third in the Tigers' starting lineup this season, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

During the 2017 season, Cabrera started 78 games hitting from the third spot in the order and 50 hitting cleanup, and he'll at least start out from No. 3 this coming year. The 34-year-old saw his performance at the plate take a steep decline last year, as he hit .249/.329/.399 over 130 games, marking the first season since 2008 that his batting average fell below .300.

Buxton is 7-for-22 (.318) with a home run and three stolen bases through nine spring training games.

Fresh off his breakout campaign in which he popped 16 homers and stole 29 bases while providing elite defense in center field, Buxton appears to be carrying over his strong performance into 2018. Though spring training results aren't necessarily indicative of regular-season success, it is nice to see the streaky hitter getting off to a productive start. If Buxton can translate his 2017 second-half performance into a full 2018 campaign, he'll entrench himself as one of the premier fantasy outfielders.

Jimenez (knee) entered Saturday's game as a pinch hitter and hit an opposite-field, two-run home run.

Jimenez has been slowed by a knee injury this spring but had been improving over the week. The White Sox announced he was slated to start Sunday, but he'd been badgering manager Rick Renteria to play, so the manager relented and allowed him to pinch hit a day earlier.