MLB Player News

Brantley (shoulder) is expected to resume baseball activities in December, and the team anticipates that he'll be ready for spring training.

Some reports cropped up that Brantley might miss some of the 2017 season due to his current shoulder ailment, but the Indians are sticking with the expectation that his injury will be a thing of the past in a month or so. That being said, Brantley's status is one to keep an eye on over the offseason, as the rate at which he recovers could determine his availability in the beginning of the season, as well as his ability to play the outfield during the spring.

Colon is among the options expected to compete for the Royals' starting job at second base in spring training, the Kansas City Star reports.

The cash-strapped club will look to internal options, leaving Colon, Whit Merrifield, Cheslor Cuthbert, and Raul Mondesi as the other candidates as the offseason begins. Now 27 years old, Colon hit .231/.294/.293 with one home run and 13 RBI in 54 games. Most likely, he'll end up in a utility role if he sticks on the Opening Day roster.

Buxton went 2-for-4 with a double and an inside-the-park home run in Sunday's 6-3 win over the White Sox. He also walked, drove in two runs and scored twice.

Buxton laced the first pitch of the game over the head of center fielder Leury Garcia, racing around the bases in 14.05 seconds for the season's fastest inside-the-park home run. Buxton's speed was on display all year in center field, but it did not translate to many stolen bases (10). The 22-year-old is still developing as a hitter, as he finished the season at .225/.284/.430 with a 35.6 percent strikeout rate in 331 plate appearances. Next year, he'll look to build on a strong final month that saw him bat .287/.357/.653 with nine home runs.

Miller is out of Sunday's lineup against the Rangers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Richie Shaffer will head to first base while Miller sits out of Sunday's game. Miller's performance has left much to be desired as of late, as he's gone just 2-for-24 (.083) with nine strikeouts over the last seven games.

Buxton went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, a walk and three runs in Saturday's win over the White Sox.

After hitting just .193 with one homer in his first 63 games this year, Buxton's finishing the season strong by batting .277 with seven homers, 18 RBI and a .936 OPS in September. At just 22 years old, the former phenom still has time to significantly change from the struggle his first two years have been overall. He showed good isolated power this year (with eight homers in under 300 at-bats), but still needs to improve extremely low contact and walk rates, and a high strikeout rate. A promotion to the top part of the lineup would help Buxton's outlook next year -- perhaps he'll get that after his strong finish this year.

Vargas went 2-for-5 with his tenth home run of the season in Thursday's win over Kansas City.

Vargas has quietly had a productive season when he's been able to find playing time with a .897 OPS in 44 games. It's been hard for him to find consistent playing time with a logjam of players at first base and DH for the Twins. That's hopefully a situation that will be resolved when a new Twins GM is hired in the offseason, which could finally give Vargas a path to steady at-bats in the majors.

Buxton went 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk in Thursday's win over Kansas City.

Buxton is hitting .286/.343/.615 with seven home runs and two triples in September. It looks like he's finally figured out how to hit in the majors after hitting .193 with a .561 OPS before September. It's just one month, but his display of power could foreshadow a breakout season in 2017.

Brantley, who had shoulder surgery a month ago, could miss significant time next season, Fanrag Sports' Jon Heyman reports.

Per Heyman's report, Brantley's shoulder muscle was re-anchored to the bone -- a serious procedure that could cost him more time than initially believed. In response to Heyman's report, Brantley said, "maybe (Heyman) knows something I don't," according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. The Indians maintain that the expected recovery time is four months, which would mean Brantley would be ready for spring training. This is a murky situation that should continue to develop during the offseason, but those who own Brantley in keeper leagues should be aware that he may not be ready for Opening Day next year.

Cabrera (knee) remains in the lineup Thursday, hitting third and manning first base against the Indians.

He hit a home run and narrowly missed hitting a second big fly in Wednesday's rain-shortened game. While manager Brad Ausmus admitted after the game that Cabrera is hobbled by a knee issue, it seems unlikely he will miss time as long as the Tigers stay in the postseason hunt. They enter Thursday one game back of the Orioles in the chase for the second wild-card spot in the American League.

Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer in Wednesday's game against Cleveland.

Cabrera thought his first-inning drive was gone, only to watch it hit off the wall. His fifth-inning drive, on the other hand, had little doubt, a classic Cabrera opposite-field swing toward the right-field corner. The slugger's 36th home run of the season was his 306th as a Tiger, tying him with Hank Greenberg for third in franchise history. It wound up being a game-winning deep fly as the game would end after five innings due to rain. Cabrera is hitting .400 with 14 RBI and three home runs over his last 11 games to help the Tigers stay in the playoff hunt.