From what I've been seeing it appears both Brantley and Yandy will be hitting cleanup. Gomes has hit 400. Chisenhall has hit less than 200 but at least his calves are not strained. Erik Gonzalez sure would be nice to have on hand: in theory Moroff is his equal as a utility IF but while Erik won the starting job at SS for Pittsburgh, Moroff is not even good enough to be a fill-in starter at 2nd or SS for Francona.

https://www.thinkbluela.com/2019/03/mil ... h-dodgers/

Sounds like he dropped into our laps. Glad they didn't jerk Jose Ramirez around again and make him play 2B.

I don't think you have to worry, Miller has almost no experience at 3rd base. Used to play SS now primarily 2nd. He could be a perfectly adequate full-season replacement for Kipnis. If Jason were to stay calf-strained all season maybe his salary could be paid by insurance? But they won't know that until time has passed and it will be too late to use the saved $14M to pay someone for the OF or the bullpen this year.

If this were the NBA, Kipnis' "expiring contract" could be a valuable asset to trade. in MLB it's just an albatross that draws 10% of the budget for little or zero return.

Yep Miller has played SS and 2B in the past (even 1B one season) so he would at least be a nice utility infielder and of course starter as needed.

Jose Ramirez was just carted off the field after fouling a ball off his left knee.

see GameTime: it's a contusion not a break. He'll be out awhile I assume? Opening day lineup is going to be something to behold.

well maybe not certain yet:

The club is holding its collective breath that it won’t have to start the season without All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez, who was carted off the field with a left knee contusion in the third inning of Sunday's game against the White Sox after fouling a pitch off the inside of his left knee. He is currently being taken for X-rays.

Unless anyone knows more about Miller, he looks like a roughly equivalent player to Kipnis. what role will he fill if/when Kipnis returns? Move Jason back to the outfield again?

Miller will be the utility infielder.

His numbers look too good for that. But I assume he'll be getting a lot of work at 2nd. Does that mean poor Max will be heading to Columbus? He hasn't exactly turned a lot of heads this spring.

Rangers released RHP Zach McAllister.

McAllister was signed to a one-year, $1 million major league contract in January, but the 31-year-old right-hander failed to win a spot on the Rangers' Opening Day roster. He'll try to latch on with a new team at some point over the next three days.

Pretty bad when you get $1 million guaranteed (MLB contract) and they still don't keep you.

Other ex-Indians on the chopping block:

Preston Guilmet reassigned by Twins; Ronny Rodriiguez the same by Tigers; Ezequiel Carrera by Dodgers; and long-time Indians OF Matt Joyce who must have been picked up the Giants has been "traded for cash" to the Braves. And John Axford gets a minor league deal with Toronto.

Not Joyce:

Matt Joyce is expected to make the Braves' Opening Day roster.

Alex Jackson and Austin Riley are also under consideration for the final bench spot, but it sounds like it will go to Joyce, who was signed to a minor league deal over the weekend. Joyce boasts a career .802 OPS versus righties, but he's now 34 and missed most of last season with back issues.