Michael Brantley's terrific 2015 season ended on Sept. 28 after he suffered a small tear to the labrum on his non-throwing shoulder. He eventually had surgery to repair the injury. It remains unclear if he'll be ready for the start of the 2016 season.
Continue for updates.
Bastian: Brantley Hoping for Opening Day Return
Thursday, Jan. 28
According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Brantley is "progressing well, and said his goal is to be back by Opening Day. But, knows that might not be realistic."
Brantley, who was originally acquired by Cleveland in the CC Sabathia trade with Milwaukee in 2008, has turned into a quiet superstar.
In 2014, he was named to his first All-Star team and finished third in AL MVP voting after posting a .327/.385/.506 slash line with 45 doubles, 20 home runs, 23 stolen bases and 200 hits. He followed that up with a strong 2015 season that included a slash of .310/.379/.480 with 15 homes runs and 84 RBI in just 137 games.
Injuries have never been a major problem for Brantley, who had played in at least 149 games every season since 2012.
The Indians were disappointing in 2015, finishing 13.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals in the American League Central, though Brantley did everything he could to keep them afloat. Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor have been the only other consistent sources of production in Cleveland's lineup, so the loss of Brantley left a huge void it could not replace.
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