MLB Player News

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.

Belt (concussion) has been officially cleared by MLB, Andrew Baggarly of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Belt, who has a history with head injuries, missed the final two months of the season with a concussion, but he'll head into the offseason with no restrictions after being deemed symptom-free. He hit .241/.355/.469 with 18 homers in 104 games before his season was cut short due to the injury. Assuming he's able to enter next season healthy, look for him to return to a starting role for the Giants.

McCutchen was named the NL Player of the Week after hitting .471 with two homers and nine RBI.

His final slash line (.279/.363/.486) doesn't do justice to the roller coaster ride in 2017. The soon-to-be 31-year-old slashed .361/.464/.652 over a 64-game stretch starting May 26, but he slumped for month-long stretches on multiple occasions. The Pirates hold a team option for $14.5 million in 2018, but the organization could decide to trade him or simply let him walk. Most likely, Pittsburgh will exercise the option and keep him for one last run in 2018. General manager Neal Huntington refused to tip his hand as to what direction the team might take with McCutchen, saying during his radio show Sunday that he'll announce plans surrounding McCutchen's option shortly after the end to the World Series. If McCutchen remains with the Pirates, it's expected that he'll return to center field on a full-time basis.

Vogelbach went 2-for-2 with an RBI double in Sunday's season-ending 6-2 loss to the Angels.

The burly infielder saw just 11 at-bats since being called up from Triple-A Tacoma on Sept. 5, hitting safely in three of them. Vogelbach had initially been slated to start the regular season in a platoon at first base with veteran Danny Valencia, but a rough spring played a part in those plans being scuttled. He spent the majority of the campaign with the Rainiers, where he generated a solid .290/.388/.455 line with 42 extra-base hits (25 doubles, 17 home runs) and 83 RBI over 541 plate appearances. Vogelbach figures to get another long look in spring training, particularly with Valencia and fellow veteran Yonder Alonso both currently unsigned for next season.

Carpenter (shoulder) had an MRI that revealed only inflammation, and he will be able to avoid offseason surgery as a result, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

With an offseason to rest, Carpenter should be able to report to spring training in February at full strength. In addition to the shoulder ailment, back, finger, quad and hip injuries impacted Carpenter at various points in 2017, but he managed to appear in 145 games and reach the 20-homer mark for the third straight season.

Cabrera (back) is out of the lineup Sunday against the Twins.

With the Tigers out of playoff contention, there's no reason for them to jeopardize Cabrera's health in Sunday's season finale. Efren Navarro will start at first base and hit fifth while Cabrera's disappointing season comes to an end. Over 130 games, he hit 16 home runs, registered 60 RBI and posted a .249 batting average and .728 OPS. This marked the first time since 2008 that Cabrera owned a batting average below .300, and his 60 RBI were the fewest of his career.