MLB Player News

An MRI on Lewis' knee revealed no new structural damage, Shannon Drayer of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Lewis, who was playing in the Arizona Fall League, was sent back to Seattle to visit team doctors after he felt something in his structurally repaired knee during one of the games. Thankfully it wasn't anything serious, though the Mariners won't send him back to the AFL as they believe he would benefit more from extra rehab and strength work. The highly regarded 22-year-old will look to head into 2018 fully healthy after appearing in just 38 games with High-A Modesto last season due to a lingering knee issue, hitting .255/.323/.403.

Brantley will miss the next 4-to-5 months after undergoing right ankle surgery Wednesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Although Brantley appeared on the ALDS roster against the Yankees -- and recorded a decent amount of at-bats -- the outfielder needed surgery to stabilize the ligaments in his ankle ahead of next season. This places him on a timetable to optimistically return to full baseball activities right around the start of spring training. Cleveland also needs to decide whether to pick up his $12 million club option for 2018, or buy him out for $1 million, which will have to be decided three days after the World Series concludes.

Brantley is not in the lineup Wednesday against the Yankees for Game 5 of the ALDS.

With Edwin Encarnacion back in the lineup after missing a couple games due to an ankle injury, Brantley will occupy a spot on the bench as CC Sabathia takes the mound for New York. Brantley may enter the fray at some point during Wednesday's game, but it appears as though he will remain in a reserve role throughout the rest of the playoffs as long as the regulars stay healthy.

Tests revealed Buxton did not suffer a fractured rib following a collision with the outfield wall during Tuesday's wild-card game against the Yankees, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

While an earlier report indicated Buxton was dealing with a cracked rib, Saturday's test results seem to indicate otherwise, which is encouraging news. He should be able to resume his normal offseason work after a short recovery.

Buxton played through a cracked rib after crashing into the outfield wall during Tuesday's wild-card game against the Yankees, Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports.

Although Buxton was officially removed with upper-back tightness, it appears as though the center fielder instead suffered a cracked rib while making a spectacular play to rob Todd Frazier of extra bases. Since the Twins have been eliminated from the playoffs, this injury shouldn't have any fantasy impact, but it will just mean a longer recovery for Buxton. He will be good to go for spring training.

Brantley is an option to start in left field for Game 3 of the ALDS on Sunday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Brantley is going to partake in a workout during the team's off day Saturday, which will likely determine manager Terry Francona's lineup decision for Game 3 in New York. The outfielder has essentially been out since early August due to an ankle injury, although he was able to see some action during the final weekend of the regular season. Looking forward, there will be an update on his status following Saturday's workout session. He is available off the bench as a pinch hitter in the meantime.

Brantley is not in the lineup against the Yankees on Friday.

Brantley will remain on the bench for Game 2 of the ALDS while Austin Jackson draws the start in left field. There hasn't been any word on how manager Terry Francona plans to use Brantley, but it appears as though he will be deployed as a pinch hitter for the time being.

Brantley is out of the lineup for Thursday's ALDS tilt with the Yankees.

Brantley was recently activated from the DL (ankle) on Saturday, and received a little time on the field in the last two regular-season games prior to the beginning of the playoffs. It's clear that the 30-year-old is still recovering from an injury that cost him 52 games dating back to Aug. 9, and is not completely ready to return to the lineup at this point. In his place, Lonnie Chisenhall will patrol left field and bat seventh in the order for Game 1 of the series.

Buxton, who suffered from upper-back tightness in the Twins' loss to the Yankees in the American League wild-card game Tuesday, will likely undergo further tests in the days to come, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Buxton sustained the injury upon slamming into the wall while making a catch and was lifted from the game after three innings. With the Twins returning to Minnesota on Wednesday, Buxton will be reexamined by team doctors to determine if the outfielder is dealing with anything more than tightness heading into the offseason. Buxton didn't express much concern about the injury after the game, so for now, the expectation remains that he'll enter spring training at full health. Thanks largely to a big second half, Buxton ended up improving his all-around production in 2017, slashing .253/.314/.413 with 16 home runs, 51 RB1, 69 runs and a 29-for-30 success rate on stolen bases.

Buxton left Tuesday's wild-card game against the Yankees with an undisclosed injury, Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.

Buxton collided with the wall while making a catch during the second inning and is now dealing with some lingering discomfort. While specifics on the injury haven't been released, Buxton was replaced by Zack Granite in center field to start the bottom of the fourth inning.