CLEVELAND (AP) Michael Brantley’s right shoulder needs more rest.
Still bothered by soreness and fatigue in his surgically repaired shoulder, Brantley was placed on 15-day disabled list Saturday by the Indians, who are hoping more time off will help their star left fielder get completely healthy.
Indians manager Terry Francona said Brantley will visit Dr. Craig Morgan on Tuesday in Wilmington, Delaware. Francona said imaging tests taken Friday didn’t reveal any new damage and Brantley will see Morgan, who performed surgery on him in November, to see what should be done next.
”The MRI came back showing nothing new, no changes, which is good,” Francona said before the Indians hosted Minnesota. ”But anytime you have a shoulder that’s had surgery, it’s not the easiest thing to just read so you go off how a guy feels. He’s not recovering at times as much as he wants.”
The setback to Brantley, the club’s best outfielder, is a blow to the Indians, who are already missing starter Carlos Carrasco. He’s been out since injuring his hamstring last month and is expected to miss a few more weeks.
In 11 games, Brantley was batting .231 (9 of 39) with seven RBIs. Last season, he batted .310 with 15 homers, a league-leading 45 doubles and 84 RBIs in 137 games.
This is Brantley’s second trip to the DL this season. The 28-year-old recovered more quickly than expected during spring training, and was hoping to be ready in time for opening day. However, after he had some discomfort, the Indians took a cautious approach and kept him out when the season started.
Francona doesn’t think Brantley rushed back too soon.
”There wasn’t a reason to hold him back,” he said. ”If we operated under those scenarios we may never play a game. You try to make the best decisions you can. Sometimes either guys don’t feel well or get hurt. That’s part of the game.”
After playing the series opener in Houston on Monday, Brantley had some soreness and the Indians sat him for two games against the Astros. He missed his third straight game Friday as the Indians opened their three-game set with the Twins. The club was hoping another day’s rest would help, but the Indians decided Brantley needs an extended period off to get well.
”Not a fun call, but an easy one,” Francona said. ”We need to look at the big picture and take care of him. I think he understood and I think this makes sense. Hopefully, we can kind of figure out how best to get him back.”
Francona hopes the shoulder doesn’t nag Brantley all season.
”It’s something he’ll have to manage, for sure,” he said. ”He had surgery but even last week he felt like he was coming. I think he was really pleased. It’s a small joint. If you get inflammation or something, then that makes you feel weak. We don’t have a crystal ball. You get an MRI, that’s as good as you can look in there. We’ll let him see Dr. Morgan, get his opinion, and hopefully we can make good decisions.”
The Indians also purchased the contract of infielder Michael Martinez from Triple-A Columbus.
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