MLB Player News

Brantley (shoulder) still has no timetable on when he'll head out on a rehab assignment and may not be back with the Indians until the end of April, MLB.com reports.

Brantley's headed to Triple-A Columbus this weekend to workout but will not get into any games. Brantley didn't suffer any setbacks this spring but did have some lingering soreness once he tried to ramp things up for the start of the regular season so expect the Indians to tread with some caution here as he works his way back from offseason surgery.

Buxton went 2-for-4 with two doubles in Wednesday's loss at Baltimore.

Buxton was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his first game, which is a worry since he struggled to make contact last season (just 66 percent contact rate and a 44:6 K:BB ratio in 129 at-bats). Buxton is hitting ninth in the order and could move to leadoff if he shows more command of the strike zone.

Canha went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and two strikeouts in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the White Sox.

After coming more or less out of nowhere to produce 16 homers and 70 RBI in 124 games as a rookie last season, Canha should again see a decent share of duty at first base and the corner-outfield spots this season. The homer came off southpaw starter Carlos Rodon, which is promising for the right-handed Canha after he rather unusually hit righties much better (.821 OPS) than lefties (.575) last season and struck out twice against left-handed pitching in the season opener.

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.