MLB Player News

Brantley (shoulder) will head to Triple-A Columbus to continue his rehab Friday, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

It's unclear when Brantley might see some action in a minor league game but for now he'll shift his rehab to Columbus instead of travelling with the Indians as the head to Chicago for a weekend series.

Goins is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rays, Shi Davidi of Sportnet.ca reports.

Darwin Barney will take over at second base against lefty Matt Moore, pushing Goins to the bench after a 3-for-12 start to the season. Goins got the start Monday against a lefty (Drew Smyly), but he hit just .212/.269/.318 against southpaws last year, so it would only makes sense if his exposure to them to remained somewhat limited.

Miller is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Blue Jays, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Tribune reports.

Tim Beckham will take over at shortstop as manager Kevin Cash stacks his lineup with right-handed bats against lefty J.A. Happ. Just a few days ago, Cash said Miller was his starter and dismissed the idea of Miller and Beckham platooning at the position. Miller has started the season 0-for-10 with one walk and three strikeouts.

Buxton started in center field and went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in Monday's loss to Baltimore.

It's only one game but the strikeouts are not a promising sign as he struggled to make contact last season (just 66 percent contact rate and a 44:6 K:BB ratio in 129 at-bats). Hopefully the Twins will be patient with their top prospect if he struggles early in the season.

Canha will get the start at first base and hit seventh Monday against the White Sox, MLB.com's Jane Lee reports.

With lefty Chris Sale on the mound for Chicago, it is no surprise to see Canha, a righty, and not lefty Yonder Alonso starting at first base. Canha should continue in the short side of this platoon in the early going.

Brantley (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day DL on Sunday, MLB.com's Jordan Bastian reports.

Brantley experienced some renewed tightness in his shoulder late in spring training, but it doesn't appear the Indians are considering it a major issue. He wasn't expected to be ready for Opening Day after undergoing surgery in November, but with his absence not expected to extend deep into the season, Brantley remains worthy of stashing in just about every format.

Choi won an Opening Day roster spot with the Angels, Joey Kaufman of the Orange County Register reports.

Choi, a Rule 5 selection, wasn't a standout in spring training, but the Angels saw enough in him to keep him on the 25-man roster rather than return him to the Orioles. Though he'll be available off the bench, it's hard to envision Choi seeing many at-bats while both C.J. Cron and Albert Pujols remain healthy.

Brantley (shoulder) will resume his hitting program Friday, MLB.com reports.

Brantley hasn't played in an exhibition game since March 21 due to some lingering shoulder soreness but will look to ramp things back up again Friday before being re-evaluated early next week. He's set to open the season on the DL but the Indians remain hopeful that he'll still be able to return earlier than initially expected.

Canha has had a rough spring so far, hitting only .194 with no homers through 36 at-bats.

Canha had some back stiffness at the start of the spring, which caused him to be a week behind the rest of the offensive players. Canha had a breakout 2015 with 16 homers, but figures to be in a battle for at-bats due to the A's additions this off-season. Canha will likely play first base against lefties in a platoon with Yonder Alonso. He will also get spot starts in the outfield, but the A's outfield is crowded to start the year with the addition of Khris Davis and a currently healthy Coco Crisp.

Miller's role as the full-time shortstop in 2016 was confirmed by manager Kevin Cash, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cash dismissed any possibility of a platoon with Tim Beckham, who has only managed a .129 average this spring. In turn, Miller, acquired in a November trade with the Mariners, has produced a .296 average with a homer, four RBI and a stolen base over his 27 at-bats. Despite a propensity for some inefficiency at the plate, Miller served as a solid source of extra-base hits, home runs and RBI relative to his 327 at-bats in 2015. With a significant boost in plate appearances on the horizon in the coming season, he could turn into an above-average infield option in all formats.