Michael Brantley could be out of the Cleveland Indians lineup until June
On Monday morning Cleveland Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes suggested that Michael Brantley might not return from a shoulder injury until June. Brantley suffered the injury on September 22 against the Twins while attempting to make a diving catch. The original timetable for his return was April or May.
Source close to situation says LF Michael Brantley (shoulder surgery in Nov.) might not play until June. Indians say that's not so.
— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) December 7, 2015
Last month, Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors wrote a helpful summary of Brantley’s surgery and prospective rehabilitation. The injury, a small tear in the labrum of his right shoulder, was expected to keep him out 4-5 months. For a team with some optimism heading in to 2016, losing Brantley for a prolonged period of time would be a major blow.
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Brantley is now regarded as one of the best left fielders in baseball. Prior to the injury he was hitting .310/.379/.480 with 15 HR, 84 RBI and 15 SB. Among qualified players at his position he finished second in fWAR trailing only Yoenis Cespedes. He also finished tied for second in wRC+ (135). Part of Brantley’s success stems from his approach at the plate. His 8.6 K% was the best rate in that same pool of players, and he drew the fifth highest percentage of walks (10.1%).
The injury definitely leaves the Indians with questions in the outfield. Their current depth chart shows Lonnie Chisenhall, Jerry Sands and Abraham Almonte with starting spots. Almonte was a pleasant surprise after becoming the Indians full-time center fielder down the stretch. However, there are questions about whether or not he can keep up a similar level of production.
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It will be interesting to see if the Indians make a move this week to try and solidify the outfield, especially in light of this newest report. The Indians have a starting rotation talented enough to lead a team to the playoffs. By the end of 2015 they had one of the best defenses in baseball. If they are able to find enough offense in 2016 they could live up to their pre-2015 hype. However, the fate (or shoulder) of Michael Brantley might have a lot to say about whether or not the Indians find themselves on the outside looking in once again.