Cleveland Indians News: Giovanni Soto to Cubs; Brantley Rehabbing

Cleveland Indians Trade Soto to the Chicago Cubs

The Cleveland Indians have traded left-handed reliever Giovanni Soto to the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations.

Soto was designated for assignment by the Tribe just before opening day along with Zach Walters and James Ramsey to make for Marlon Byrd, Ross Detwiler, and Joba Chamberlain. Both Walters and Ramsey were also dealt for cash considerations, having been sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers yesterday. Soto will head to Triple-A Iowa and provide the Cubs with some bullpen depth as they look to win their first World Series title in over 100 years.  He has some major league experience, having appeared in six games for the Tribe last year. He was also recently ranked as our 27th best prospect in the Tribe’s system. 

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To make room for Soto on the 40-man roster the Cubs moved catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber to the 60-day disabled list. Schwarber recently was ruled out for the season after tearing both his ACL and LCL in his knee. The Indians and the Cubs had discussions this winter about swapping a pitcher for a hitter and while Schwarber’s name was one brought up many times by fans, you can bet this isn’t the swap either team was expecting…

Michael Brantley to Begin Rehab Assignment

In some good news for the Cleveland Indians, outfielder Michael Brantley will begin his minor league rehab assignment this week as he works his way back from offseason shoulder surgery. Brantley will join the Triple-A Columbus Clippers tomorrow, joining fellow big leaguers Lonnie Chisenhall and Tommy Hunter who are also on rehab assignments there.

Brantley has not played in a game since March 21st after he experienced some shoulder soreness after a spring training game with the Indians. The Tribe decided it was best to be cautious and shut him down to give the shoulder time to heal. He played in just three spring training games before being shut down. He appeared in a minor league game on March 17th and a pair of big league games on March 19th and 21st. He did hit a home run in the March 19th game while also recording an outfield assist in the field.

Next: Indians Postponed Again

There is no word yet on how long Brantley will be out though by starting his rehab tomorrow he’s on track to be back with the big league club around the beginning of May (or sooner) provided there are no more setbacks.  Of course, this is also assuming that there are any minor league games for him to play in as the Clippers were postponed yet again today. They will hopefully get tomorrow’s game in with a doubleheader scheduled for Wednesday before heading out on the road. With them heading on the road, there’s a strong chance that Brantley could switch to Double-A Akron or Class-A Lake County later in the week to rehab should the Tribe decide it’s best to keep him closer to Cleveland.

Regards of where he plays, it’s great news that he’s on the mend and working his way back. The Indians could really use his bat in left field to provide some consistency in the outfield and lineup.