4 Bradley Zimmer LF

Zimmer will be part of Cleveland's wild-card roster, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Zimmer had been off the roster since late August. He was quite disappointing in 50 plate appearances this season, hitting .162/.360/.243. He'll likely fill a bench role during the series against the Yankees.

Zimmer was optioned to the Indians' alternate training site when Triston McKenzie was called up by the Indians to make his big-league debut Saturday.

Zimmer has struggled at the plate throughout his four-year career with the Indians as the 2014 first-round pick is hitting just .162/.360/.243 with a home run and three RBI across 50 plate appearances this year. He'll head to the team's alternate training site with the hopes of being called back up sometime during the regular season.

Zimmer isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Tigers.

Zimmer will play a bench role for the third time in the past four contests after going hitless in his last eight at-bats. Oscar Mercado will start in center field and bat ninth.

Zimmer is not starting Friday against Detroit.

Zimmer has now played every other game for eight straight contests and has started a total of 12 times in the team's first 20 games. Delino DeShields starts in center field Friday.

Zimmer isn't starting Tuesday against the Cubs.

Zimmer went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts Sunday, and he'll retreat to the bench for the third time in the past five games. Domingo Santana will start in right field in Zimmer's absence.

Zimmer isn't in the lineup Saturday against the White Sox.

Zimmer will take a seat for the second time in the past three games Saturday after going 0-for-2 with a walk Friday. Jordan Luplow will start in left field and bat seventh in Saturday's contest.

Zimmer is not in the starting lineup Thursday against the Reds.

Zimmer has started four of the past five games, going 2-for-10 with a run scored and a 3:4 BB:K. Oscar Mercado is covering left field in this one, with Delino DeShields starting in center.

Zimmer went 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base in Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Twins.

It doesn't seem like much, but Cleveland only managed two hits in total off Kenta Maeda and the Minnesota bullpen, so Zimmer's contribution stands out. The steal was his first of the season, and the 27-year-old is slowly pushing his way into a regular role -- he's started six of the last eight games, going 5-for-17 with a homer and Saturday's stolen base. Perhaps more importantly, he has a solid 2:4 BB:K -- strong plate discipline from a player with a career strikeout rate north of 30 percent through the equivalent of a season's worth of big-league plate appearances since 2017.

Zimmer will be a part of Cleveland's Opening Day roster, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Zimmer has earned a role among a deep group of decent outfielders, though just how large that will be remains to be seen. He's appeared in 144 games over the last three seasons, hitting an unimpressive .230/.293/.359, but he could be in line for a stronger performance this year now that he's finally past the injury issues which wiped out most of his last two campaigns.

Zimmer homered for the second night in a row Thursday, Joe Noga of Cleveland.com reports.

He was starting in center field and batting eighth in one of the intrasquad lineups. Zimmer hit a two-run shot to left field off Logan Allen in this scrimmage. He is reportedly 8-for-16 with three home runs and six RBI in six intrasquad games. Zimmer has changed his stance in an effort to prevent pitcher from beating him up and in. Jordan Luplow (back) and Delino DeShields (COVID-19) are questionable for Opening Day, which could allow Zimmer to make the 30-man roster.

Zimmer was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday.

As expected, Zimmer -- who is healthy for the first time in over a year -- will head to Triple-A to begin the season. He's expected to get back up to game speed with regular playing time in the minors before ultimately returning to Cleveland.

Zimmer is healthy for the first time in over one year, but he'll likely need to get regular playing time at Triple-A Columbus before reaching the majors again, Paul Hoynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Indians had requested Zimmer to play winter ball this offseason. However, he declined, opting to instead rest his body after rehabbing his right shoulder for nearly 18 months. As a result, he'll need to get extra reps to regain his timing, and his one remaining minor-league option makes it likely he won't be on the Opening Day roster. His rust showed, as he struck out 10 times in 26 exhibition plate appearances, though four of his five hits did go for extra bases.

Zimmer went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and two RBI in his first game of spring training.

He has essentially had lost seasons in 2018 and 2019 due to injuries after making his big-league debut and playing 101 games for the Indians in 2017. Zimmer owns a career 32.6 percent strikeout rate and 7.4 percent walk rate and is entering his age-27 season, so even at full health, it's hard to be overly optimistic that he is ready to have consistent success against MLB pitching. He has minor-league options remaining, so the Indians will likely send him to Triple-A to start the season so that he can get into a rhythm.

Zimmer was recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

Zimmer is finally ready for his first big-league action since undergoing shoulder surgery last July. He recorded a strong .309/.407/.559 slash line over 22 games in the minors. The 26-year-old's career .237/.300/.370 slash line in 135 big-league games isn't particularly impressive, though he does have 22 steals and could potentially help fantasy owners down the stretch in that category if he's able to carve out a bit of playing time.

The Indians are expected to promote Zimmer to the major-league roster Friday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Right-hander James Karinchak is on his way to bolster the team's bullpen depth, and it sounds like Zimmer will be with him after Triple-A Columbus captured the Governors' Cup with a win over Durham on Thursday. Zimmer played a big part in that win, hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning. If he is indeed rewarded with a callup, it will mark the culmination of Zimmer's long road back from July 2018 shoulder surgery. Zimmer has speed and pedigree, and he may play a fair amount in the outfield right away against right-handed pitching.

Zimmer (side) was activated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

Zimmer has battled side and shoulder issues all season. He's hit .333/.412/.600 in 12 minor-league games thus far. He's a strong candidate to be called up shortly after rosters expand once he's gotten a chance to shake off some rust with Columbus.

Zimmer (side) will advance his rehab to Triple-A Columbus on Monday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Zimmer has been sidelined all season with shoulder and side injuries but is finally nearly ready to return to Cleveland. He appears to be on track to return in September, though it's not clear what his role will be.

Zimmer (side) will continue his rehab assignment with Double-A Akron early next week, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Zimmer has been sidelined for the entirety of the season as he deals with shoulder and side injuries, but he appears to be progressing toward a return to the major-league club. The 26-year-old is likely still a few weeks from a return to the majors, but it's encouraging to see his rehab progress so quickly after resuming live game action Saturday.

Zimmer (side) started in center field and went 1-for-2 with a home run Tuesday in a rehab appearance for the Indians' rookie-level Arizona League affiliate.

After serving as a designated hitter in his first rehab outing Sunday, Zimmer received the green light to play his first defensive innings in affiliated ball since June 10, 2018. Zimmer's recovery from shoulder surgery has kept him off the field for much of the past 14 months, but it's a side issue that cropped up during spring training that remains the primary focus of his rehab program. Due to the extensive time he's missed, Zimmer will likely require a full 20-day rehab stint before being activated from the 60-day injured list.

Zimmer (side) will play for the Arizona League Indians on Saturday, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

Zimmer has finally been cleared to return to game action, though he'll serve as the designated hitter Saturday. He'll then be tasked with playing the outfield at some point next week. Considering Zimmer has been on the shelf since spring training, he'll need a lengthy stay in the minors before being activated from the injured list.