Brantley announced his retirement from baseball Friday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Brantley began his major-league career by playing 10 seasons for Cleveland before joining the Astros ahead of the 2019 campaign. The five-time All-Star put together several productive seasons with his new team, slashing .305/.365/.463 with 42 homers, 215 runs, 192 RBI and seven steals over five years. The 36-year-old missed most of the 2023 campaign while recovering from shoulder surgery that he underwent in August of 2022, but he was available down the stretch. Brantley was a free agent during this offseason and will elect to hang up his cleats following a 15-year career in the majors.
Brantley is starting in left field and batting second in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Rangers on Sunday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The veteran slugger will make just his third start of the series as Houston attempts punch its ticket to the World Series at home. Through six playoffs games this year, Brantley has gone 5-for-20 with a double, a homer, two walks, a stolen base and two RBI.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Out of lineup for Game 5
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Brantley isn't in the Astros' lineup for Game 5 of the ALCS against Texas.
Brantley will start on the bench as Houston rolls out an outfield unit of Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubon and Kyle Tucker for the second consecutive game. The 36-year-old Brantley is 5-for-19 with a homer and two RBI during the postseason.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Not in lineup for Game 4
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Brantley is not in the lineup Thursday for Game 4 of the ALCS versus the Rangers.
Brantley should appear off the bench at some point, but the Astros will start Chas McCormick, Mauricio Dubon and Kyle Tucker across the outfield with left-hander Andrew Heaney taking the mound first for Texas. The left-handed-hitting Brantley has posted an .807 OPS across 21 plate appearances this postseason.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Batting second in Game 3
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Brantley is starting in left field and batting second Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALCS at Texas.
The struggling Kyle Tucker has been dropped to the sixth spot in the Astros' lineup for Wednesday's matchup against right-hander Max Scherzer. Alex Bregman, the Astros' usual No. 2 hitter, will bat third in Game 3. Brantley is 18-for-49 (.367) with three homers lifetime versus Scherzer and carries an overall .357/.438/.643 slash line through 16 plate appearances in the 2023 postseason.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: On bench for Game 1
Rotowire
Brantley is out of the lineup for Game 1 of the ALCS against the Rangers on Sunday.
The 36-year-old will take a seat for the series opener with lefty Jordan Montgomery on the mound for Texas. Mauricio Dubon will start in center field while Chas McCormick moves to left in place of Brantley.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Not in lineup for Game 3
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Brantley is not in the lineup for Game 3 of the ALDS on Tuesday at Minnesota.
Brantley takes a seat after going 2-for-7 with two singles, two strikeouts and a walk over the first two games of the best-of-five series. Yainer Diaz will serve as the Astros' designated hitter and Yordan Alvarez is patrolling left field Tuesday versus the Twins and right-hander Sonny Gray.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: No limitations for ALDS
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Brantley said Friday that he'll be "100 percent available" and has "no limitations" for the ALDS, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Brantley didn't make his season debut for the Astros until late August following a slow recovery from shoulder surgery and wound up starting just 14 of 29 contests down the stretch while battling nagging issues with the shoulder. Just Thursday, manager Dusty Baker admitted he wasn't sure how much he'd get out of Brantley during the series versus the Twins. However, the 36-year-old contends that he won't have any restrictions heading into the ALDS.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Wild card for ALDS
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Astros manager Dusty Baker admitted Thursday that he's not sure what he'll be able to get out of Brantley during the ALDS versus the Twins, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Brantley was in and out of the lineup down the stretch for Houston while battling nagging soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder. He hit well when available in slashing .294/.302/.451 with two homers over 14 games. Brantley will be on the Astros' ALDS roster while the team hopes he'll be healthy enough to play every day, but it's not guaranteed.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Resting Saturday
Rotowire
Brantley will sit Saturday against Arizona.
Brantley returned in late August after missing more than a year due to shoulder surgery, then missed eight games earlier this month due to soreness in the same shoulder. When available, he's been effective, hitting .294/.302/.451 with a pair of homers through 14 games.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Four hits in return
Rotowire
Brantley went 4-for-5 with a double, one RBI and one run scored in Wednesday's 8-3 win over the Mariners.
Brantley was a powerhouse from the No. 6 spot in the lineup after an eight-game absence. The outfielder contributed an RBI single as the Astros padded their lead with a seventh-inning rally. He's batting .319 over 13 contests this season while adding two homers, seven RBI, seven runs scored and two doubles. The 36-year-old hasn't attempted a stolen base in his limited action.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Returns to lineup Wednesday
Rotowire
Brantley (shoulder) is back in the lineup Wednesday versus the Mariners.
Brantley will start in left field and bat sixth for the visiting Astros after missing eight straight games because of more shoulder discomfort. He's produced two homers, six RBI and six runs scored in 12 games when healthy this season.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Remains out Tuesday
Rotowire
Brantley (shoulder) isn't in the Astros' lineup Tuesday against the Mariners.
Brantley was available off the bench Monday but never came into the game, and he will continue to sit Tuesday due to shoulder soreness. Yordan Alvarez will start in left field while Yainer Diaz operates as the designated hitter.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Available off bench
Rotowire
Brantley (shoulder) will be available off the bench Monday against the Mariners, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
The veteran isn't listed in the starting lineup for the series opener, but skipper Dusty Baker stated before the contest that Brantley will be available if called upon. He's been dealing with a shoulder issue since Sept. 17 and hasn't seen any action since.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Continues to sit
Rotowire
Brantley (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the Mariners.
Brantley's shoulder issue will keep him out of the starting nine for the seventh time in as many games. He remains on Houston's active roster for the time being, but it's unclear when he will be ready to play again.
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