Cleveland Indians: Michael Brantley to Miss Significant Time?

While the Cleveland Indians could be getting injured reliever Joba Chamberlain back soon, the outlook on another wounded wahoo is not as cheerful. According to reports, the Cleveland Indians fear that Michael Brantley could miss significant time due to his injured right shoulder.

Brantley has already missed most of the 2016 season. He had offseason shoulder surgery this fall to repair a torn labrum and began the season on the disabled list. He was activated in late April, returning sooner than anyone thought possible. However, he only appeared in 11 games before returning to the disabled list after the shoulder failed to respond well to the rigors of playing several times a week.  He had an MRI in May that showed no new structural damage, which seemed to indicate good news.  However, it is now June and there’s been very little out of the Tribe camp on Brantley’s health. 

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This latest news doesn’t give a time frame other than “significant time” missed, which while vague, is very concerning. The Indians offense has been a huge bright spot for the club as they are currently third in the American League in runs per game. The outfield especially has played well with Jose Ramirez, Lonnie Chisenhall, Tyler Naquin, and Rajai Davis all hitting at an average to above-average clip this year (per wRC+).  However, none of those guys are the same type of offensive player that Michael Brantley has proven to be over the last two years.

Brantley is a career .292 hitter with a .769 OPS. Since the start of 2014 though, when he finished third in the Most Valuable Player voting, he has hit .316 with a .866 OPS, both of which are tops among qualified Tribe hitters.  In the previous two seasons, Brantley has also hit 90 doubles, which is not only the best on the Indians but were the most by any hitter in baseball over the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

The Indians are in first place so it’s hardly the time to panic even in the face of this grim Brantley news. However, it could give the Tribe and their front office more reason to look at adding some offensive help this summer, especially in the outfield. The Tribe’s outfield does rank fifth-best in the American League in wins above replacement, but one can’t help but wonder how long guys like Jose Ramirez and Tyler Naquin can stay hot (especially the latter).

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There’s also no telling how well Brantley will hit when (or if?) he comes back. He didn’t look the same in his first stint back hitting just .231 in his 11 games with the club. The Tribe has seen their fair share of star players struggle when returning from injury, most notably Jason Kipnis in 2014 and Yan Gomes last season. The Indians probably can’t bank on getting the same old Brantley back this summer though one sure hopes that they do…