MLB Player News

Brantley (ankle) is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Blue Jays, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports.

As expected, Brantley is not starting Wednesday. The Indians have Thursday off, so Brantley will aim to return to action for Friday's outing against Minnesota. With Brantley out, Yandy Diaz will get the nod to start in left field.

Vargas went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run, his fourth of the season, in Tuesday's 7-2 win over the White Sox.

The homer was his second in as many days and third in the last six games to go along with nine RBI, but Vargas only has five hits and an awkward .238/.227/.714 slash line over that stretch. His power surge has moved him into a nearly full-time role as the Twins' DH, but he'll need to solidify his overall performance in order to keep the job.

Miller went 1-for-5 with his second homer and a walk in Tuesday's loss to the Royals.

With 28 walks, Miller and Bryce Harper are tied for the MLB lead. The only difference between the two is, of course, that Harper's hitting .370 with 10 homers, while Miller's languishing at .193 with two homers. There was no reasonably expecting him to duplicate last season's 30 long balls, but Miller's regression shouldn't be nearly this sharp -- he could still heat up and smack 20-plus, though batting average will always be a concern.

Canha was recalled from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday.

Canha opened the season as the Athletics' primary reserve outfielder but was eventually optioned to Triple-A after a slow start at the plate. With Jaff Decker scuffling at the plate of late, the A's decided to designate Decker for assignment and give Canha another opportunity to hold down the backup outfield role.

Brantley (ankle) is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Blue Jays, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

This comes as no surprise, as Brantley was seen in a walking boot Monday. While manager Terry Francona initially slapped an optimistic "day or two" timeline on the injury, it's looking like a realistic return date for Brantley would be Friday's series opener against the Twins, after the Indians' off day Thursday.

Soler is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

After missing the first 28 games of the season with an oblique injury, Soler is hitless in three starts since being activated from the disabled list (0-for-11). He'll head to the bench to clear his mind as Jorge Bonifacio draws the start in right field.

Brantley (ankle) was wearing a protective boot on Monday and likely won't play in the current series against Toronto, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Manager Terry Francona provided an optimistic "day or two" timeline to open the week, but that's unlikely to hold true. A Friday activation for the weekend series against Minnesota is looking like the best possible outcome for Brantley. Yandy Diaz, who was called up Monday after hitting .395 with Triple-A Columbus, will pick up the available at-bats in the interim.

Brantley (ankle) is not in the lineup Monday against the Blue Jays.

This comes as no surprise, as Brantley exited Sunday's contest against the Royals with a sprained ankle and is expected to miss at least a day or two. While the sprain isn't thought to be anything overly serious, the Indians will tread cautiously with the 30-year-old after he only played in 11 games last season due to injuries. With an off day coming up Thursday, it wouldn't be too surprising to see the Indians hold him out until then to afford him some extra rest. The recently recalled Yandy Diaz will draw the start in left field for the game.

Indians manager Terry Francona said Brantley's injury is not considered overly serious and shouldn't cost him more than "a day or two," Robert Falkoff of MLB.com reports.

A collective "Phew!" could be heard across the fantasy world thanks to the skipper's post-game comments. "It's not the dreaded high-ankle sprain," Francona said. "He hit first [base] hard. Hopefully, it's a day or two." Brantley, who played just 11 games last season before injuries shelved him for good, is off to a strong start to 2017. He's hitting .283/.343/.475 with five home runs, 17 RBI and 15 runs through his first 26 games. Owners in weekly formats may want to think about sitting Brantley before rosters lock Monday. Even though Francona mentioned a short timeline, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Brantley gets a few extra days to rest, as the club was already -- even before Sunday's injury -- being very cautious with the 30-year-old.

Miller was hitless in four at-bats in Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays and is now 2-for-32 over the last 11 games.

The only two hits for Miller during that span came in an April 30 contest against the Blue Jays, and his average is down to .190 following Sunday's game. The veteran infielder's struggles are somewhat mystifying, as his hard contact rate is up to a career-high 38.2 percent, including 36.8 percent during his current slump. His one saving grace has been a .362 OBP that's largely a byproduct of a career-high 20.5 percent walk rate. While his patience at the plate has been a positive, his lack of production, particularly in the power department, has to be of increasing concern.