MLB Player News

Turner (undisclosed) is starting at third base and batting second for Game 1 of the World Series against the Astros on Tuesday.

As expected, Turner is in the lineup for Game 1 despite being held out of team workouts over the past two days. He'll look to continue his remarkable postseason, as he's hitting .387/.500/.677 with three homers, 12 RBI and a 5:6 K:BB in 31 at-bats so far.

General manager Farhan Zaidi said Turner -- who was held out of Sunday's practice -- is a little "banged up" after the NLCS but expects to be ready for Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Zaidi downplayed Turner's absence from Sunday's workout, equating it to a maintenance game the third baseman would take during the regular season to rest his chronically inflamed knees. He was seen doing agility drills in the outfield Monday, and assuming everything checks out fine, he should be good to go for Game 1. Turner has started all eight of the Dodgers' playoff games so far, hitting a ridiculous .387/.500/.677 with three homers, 12 RBI, one stolen base and a 5:6 K:BB in 31 at-bats.

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.

Ohtani will have surgery on his right ankle Thursday, Nikkan Sports reports.

The injury initially occurred in the fall of 2016, and was ultimately the reason behind Ohtani's absence from the World Baseball Classic in March. It's expected that Ohtani will be completely healthy for the start of the new season, which is increasingly likely to be his first with an MLB club if he's posted as expected by the Nippon Ham Fighters this offseason.

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.