General manager Dana Brown stated Monday that Brantley (shoulder) isn't expected to make his 2023 debut until mid-to-late-April, Michael Connor of Sports Talk 790 reports.
Brown noted that the club's initial expectation was for Brantley to take the field in mid-April, but he's already a week or so behind that target date. The GM mentioned that the veteran outfielder has been hitting and getting his necessary days off, and the squad has no intention of rushing him back before he's ready. An update on Brantley's timeline should arrive as he gets closer to seeing live at-bats, likely in a minor-league setting.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Rehab ongoing
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Brantley (shoulder) will begin the season in West Palm Beach to continue his rehab at the Astros' team facility, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
This report confirms the expectation that Brantley will begin the season on the injured list. There's no clear timeline for his return, though he underwent surgery on his shoulder over seven months ago. Brantley figures to occupy a key role in the Houston lineup when he's able to take the field, though the lingering injury isn't a positive way to begin the new campaign.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Likely to miss Opening Day
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Astros manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that Brantley (shoulder) isn't expected to be ready in time for Opening Day, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Brantley has been brought along slowly this spring after undergoing right shoulder surgery last August, and he also was away from camp for a spell due to a personal matter. The 35-year-old has since rejoined the Astros, but because he didn't spend much time going through baseball activities while he was away from the team, he appears to have run out of time to get fully ramped up before the opener. It's unclear how much time he might miss, but fantasy managers should plan for a minimum of a couple weeks in the likely event that he's placed on the injured list. With Brantley and Jose Altuve (thumb) out, the top two spots in the Houston lineup have been opened up.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Returns to camp
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Brantley (shoulder) rejoined the Astros at spring training Monday, but manager Dusty Baker said it "will be close" whether the veteran outfielder is ready to go for Opening Day, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Brantley's status for Opening Day was already in question while he continues to recover from the surgery he underwent last August to repair the labrum in his right shoulder, and it didn't help his cause that his rehab program was essentially put on hold when he stepped away from the team just under two weeks ago to tend to a family matter. Now that he's back at camp, Brantley is expected to steadily increase his baseball activities, but he still may have an uphill battle to get fully ramped up by the time Houston opens its season March 30 versus the White Sox. When Brantley is healthy, Baker said that the 35-year-old is expected to serve as the Astros' No. 2 hitter while likely sharing time at designated hitter and in left field with Yordan Alvarez (hand).
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Doubtful for opener
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Brantley (shoulder/personal) is not expected to be ready for Opening Day, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Brantley has been brought along slowly this spring as he works his way back from shoulder surgery, and he's been away from the team for a week or so while dealing with a family matter. It's not clear when he might return and at this point he's simply running out of time. Brantley still has some fantasy appeal as the projected No. 2 hitter in a strong Astros lineup, but his injury history and mediocre power make him both a risky option, and one with a limited ceiling.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Opening Day in doubt
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Brantley (shoulder) may not be ready to play on Opening Day, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Brantley is recovering from surgery to repair his right labrum and has been progressing slowly. He's currently away from the team due to a personal matter, but prior to that, he had not appeared in any Grapefruit League games. On Wednesday, general manager Dana Brown said Brantley's availability for Opening Day is in doubt, but the team hopes he'll be able to return to the field no later than April 10.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Will hit second when in lineup
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Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters that Brantley (shoulder, personal) will hit second when in the lineup this season, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Jeremy Pena hit second for most of last year, but it's worth pointing out that was with Brantley missing a large portion of the season because of shoulder surgery. "If Brantley is in the lineup, Brantley is No. 2 ... I know Pena's been good, but Pena ain't been good as long as Brantley," Baker said. The veteran outfielder is away from the club now to deal with a personal matter, but a chance to hit second in the quality Houston lineup certainly doesn't hurt Brantley's fantasy potential.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Away due to family matter
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Brantley (shoulder) is away from Astros camp while dealing with a family matter, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Brantley has yet to play in any Grapefruit League games as he takes things slowly following last August's shoulder surgery. This personal matter will halt his rehab, presumably briefly. The hope is that the 35-year-old will be ready in time for Opening Day.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Batting practice on tap
Rotowire
Brantley (shoulder) will take batting practice on the field Sunday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
It's a significant step for the 35-year-old, as it will be his first session of batting practice since he underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder back in August. Brantley still has some work to do in his rehab program before progressing to game action, but barring any setbacks he appears on track to be ready for Opening Day.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Taking reps at first base
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Brantley (shoulder) could see time at first base in the 2023 season, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Brantley has taken reps at first base on the backfields of the Astros' spring-training facility. The 35-year-old has never played the position in the majors, but did play it in the minors all the way back in 2007. Jose Abreu should see the overwhelming majority of the reps at first base as long as he's healthy, but this would be a way to get Brantley in the lineup on those days that Abreu sits out.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Easing into Grapefruit League games
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Brantley (shoulder) acknowledged Monday that he's on schedule in his recovery from August surgery to repair his right labrum but noted that he doesn't expect to be ready to play when the Astros open Grapefruit League play Saturday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Brantley relayed that he'll face no limitations defensively in spring training, and he even took grounders at first base Monday, though manager Dusty Baker said that he's "not seriously" considering deploying the 35-year-old at the position as anything more than an emergency option, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Instead, any defensive action Brantley sees in 2023 will most likely come in the corner outfield, though the Astros appear to be viewing him as their primary option at designated hitter heading into Opening Day. Since Brantley isn't yet 100 percent swinging the bat, he'll eventually need to prove that his surgically repaired shoulder isn't hindering him at the plate during spring training in order to avoid a stint on the 10-day injured list to begin the campaign.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Opening Day still uncertain
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Astros general manager Dana Brown said Brantley's (shoulder) readiness for Opening Day is "going to go down to the wire," Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Brantley is hitting, fielding, and "not feeling much pain," per Brown, but the Astros still intend to bring him along slowly this spring as he completes his recovery from labrum surgery in his right shoulder last August. The 35-year-old was re-signed to a one-year, $12 million contract in December and currently projects to serve as Houston's primary DH in 2023. He probably won't play in any Grapefruit League games before mid-March.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Hopeful for Opening Day
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Brantley (shoulder) said last week that he's hopeful of being ready for Opening Day, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.
Brantley required surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder last August, and even a minor setback could cause a delay in his availability for the early part of the Astros' regular-season schedule. He's trending in a positive direction at the moment, but this is something to monitor throughout spring training. The veteran outfielder re-upped with Houston in December on a one-year, $12 million contract.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Rejoining Astros
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Brantley (shoulder) agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract with the Astros on Sunday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
The veteran outfielder missed the final three-plus months of 2022 and underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder during August, and he'll return to Houston for at least one more season. Brantley is apparently fully recovered from the procedure, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, and he should split his playing time between left field and designated hitter with Yordan Alvarez.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Aiming to be ready for spring
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Brantley (shoulder) said Wednesday he should be ready to resume full baseball activities by spring training, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Though Brantley is set to become a free agent this winter, is turning 36 years old in May and is working back from August surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder, he isn't yet ready to retire. Brantley's power production has trended down in recent seasons, and he's probably a better fit at designated hitter than in the corner outfield at this stage of his career, but his elite contact skills should be enough for him to secure a one-year deal on the open market.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Transferred to 60-day IL
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Brantley (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday.
Brantley's move to the 60-day IL is simply procedural since the outfielder recently underwent a season-ending arthroscopic labral repair on his right shoulder. Whether he'll be able to return to the field in time for spring training in 2023 isn't yet clear.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Undergoes season-ending surgery
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Brantley underwent an arthroscopic labral repair on his right shoulder and will miss the remainder of the season.
Brantley has been sidelined with his shoulder injury since late June and received a second medical opinion on his shoulder Wednesday. He'll be unable to return this year following his procedure, and it's not yet clear whether he's expected to return in time for spring training in 2023. He appeared in 64 games this season and slashed .288/.370/.416 with five homers, 28 runs, 26 RBI and a stolen base.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Heading for second opinion
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Astros bench coach Joe Espada said Wednesday that Brantley is receiving a second medical opinion on his injured right shoulder, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
GM James Click said recently he had no update on Brantley's status but indicated it's possible the veteran outfielder doesn't see the field again this year, though Click said he still hopes Brantley will return to action. The 35-year-old has been sidelined by the injury since late June, and he was shut down in mid-July when his body responded poorly to swinging a bat. At this point, Brantley shouldn't be expected to rejoin the Astros until at least sometime in September, assuming he even sees the field again in 2022.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Status uncertain for rest of season
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Astros general manager James Click wouldn't commit Sunday to Brantley (shoulder) being able to return from the 10-day injured list before the end of the season, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. "We hope [Brantley will return in 2022], but with every passing day, you have to kind of take an honest look at it," Click said.
Click added that he had "no update" on Brantley's status while the 35-year-old hasn't yet been cleared to swing a bat since mid-July, a couple weeks after he initially landed on the IL. Though the end of the regular season is just under two months away, Brantley will likely still need to make some meaningful progress over the next couple of weeks for the Astros to feel more confident about his chances of playing again in 2022. In the meantime, the Astros will lean on a combination of Trey Mancini, Aledmys Diaz, Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubon to replace Brantley in the everyday lineup.
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Astros' Michael Brantley: Still not swinging
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Brantley (shoulder) said Wednesday he hasn't swung a bat since landing on the 10-day injured list June 28 and is without a timeline to resume doing so, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. "I don't want to put a timetable on [swinging a bat] because then I don't know if it's pushing too hard or not pushing hard enough. It's literally day by day," Brantley said.
Brantley's lack of meaningful progress in his recovery from the injury may have influenced the Astros' decision to acquire Trey Mancini from the Orioles prior to Tuesday's trade deadline. The fact that Brantley hasn't yet been moved to the 60-day injured list offers some hope that he'll be back in action by the second half of August, but a clearer target date for his return won't be established until he begins to ramp up his baseball activities.
