The Cleveland Indians could get back Michael Brantley sooner than expected after the outfielder had surgery this offseason on his shoulder. Brantley has maintained that he wants to be ready for Opening Day, but a return in late March or early April is looking more likely.
Brantley originally had surgery on his shoulder in November to repair a torn labrum. The initial diagnosis for the injury had him returning sometime in late April or May. However, Brantley has been making significant progress in his recovery and the team expects him back ahead of schedule. The outfielder is currently doing soft toss hitting after being limited to no-contact swings for the first two weeks of spring training.
Jerry Crasnick reports that Brantley has been able to do defensive and baserunning drills with the Indians and has also been able to throw (the injury occurred on his non-throwing shoulder). He is one of the key players for the Indians and is coming into 2016 after having a career season last year. Brantley hit 15 home runs with a .310 batting average and a league-leading 45 doubles. The outfielder, who made the All-Star team in 2015, plays stellar defense for the Indians in the outfield.
Brantley has said multiple times this offseason that he wants to return by Opening Day, but he may not be ready even after making significant progress. While no firm return date has been set, the Indians are confident that he will return sooner than the "late April/early May" estimate that was first reported after the injury.
''I want to be back as soon as I can,'' Brantley said. ''The sooner I can get out there with [my teammates], the happier I'm going to be.''
The Indians have solid depth in the outfield coming into spring training, but Brantley is the best option for the team in left field. The roster has Rajai Davis, Will Venable, Lonnie Chisenhall and Collin Cowgill as outfield options, and some players could rotate positions until Brantley returns. The Indians are hoping that Brantley does not suffer any setbacks in his recovery.
The Indians finished with an 81-80 record last season after winning 85 games the previous year. Cleveland feels that it has a chance to compete in the American League Central division with teams like the World Series-champion Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers. Having Brantley in the lineup will give them a much better chance of doing that.
