Cleveland Indians left fielder Michael Brantley is dealing with a shoulder issue that saw him land on the disabled list Saturday. It's unclear when he'll return to the field.
Continue for updates.
Brantley Placed on DL
Saturday, May 14
The Indians announced Brantley's move to the DL was retroactive to May 10, and they promoted Michael Martinez to take his place on the active roster.
Brantley put together a stellar 2015 season, as he batted .310 with 84 RBI, 15 home runs and a league-leading 45 doubles. Operating in the heart of Cleveland's order, Brantley posted the second-best offensive wins above replacement mark (3.7) of his career to date, per Baseball-Reference.com.
However, the 28-year-old's stellar campaign came to a screeching halt when he suffered a shoulder injury in late September. According to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), Brantley wound up suffering a small tear in his right labrum that required surgery.
As a result, his 2016 debut was delayed until April 25 as he progressed through a lengthy rehabilitation process.
But even though Brantley returned within the first few weeks of the season, he didn't immediately resemble the player who stuffed stat sheets last season.
"I'm kind of kicking myself a little bit," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Brantley's return to the diamond, per Cleveland.com's Zack Meisel. "I think we might have gone a little too far, too much, too fast. I didn't want to do that, and I think we probably did."
Through 11 games this season, Brantley is batting .231 with no home runs and seven RBI as he seeks to work back into a groove following extended time on the shelf.
So long as Brantley is dinged up, Rajai Davis should shift over to left field as Francona reshuffles his batting order and outfield alignment.
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