The Cleveland Indians were already looking for some outfield help this offseason, but things just got worse as their top hitter over the past two seasons, Michael Brantley, had right arthroscopic shoulder surgery today to repair a slight tear in his right labrum.
NEWS: Michael Brantley had right shoulder surgery today. He’s expected to be ready for game activity in 5-6 months. pic.twitter.com/mFZN6nTiq4
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) November 9, 2015
Brantley had dealt with back soreness since the first week of the season, but he injured the shoulder on the dive shown below from September 13th against Detroit.
While the Indians were essentially out of the playoff race with two weeks left, they kept pushing Brantley to play and he wasn’t shut down for good until September 28th. With nothing on the line except his own health, he played in 10 games and batted .216 with no home runs despite batting .310 with 15 on the year.
Now, with the surgery, Brantley will be out at least until early April and more likely won’t return to the majors until late in that month or sometime in May. This is always a difficult time for players to get started as they are a month behind everyone else without the benefit of Spring Training. This lack of time to prepare for the season at full strength could push him back even further.
Some were already speculating that Brantley would be better served as a DH as his range and speed have decreased in the past few years. His arm has always been the primary excuse to keep him in left field, but with the injury, the Indians may be forced to use him in a less frequent role at least when he first returns.
While the Indians minor league system has much top outfield talent, these players (specifically Clint Frazier and Bradley Zimmer) are generally considered to be at least a year away being able to produce at the MLB level. Other internal options, like Tyler Naquin and James Ramsey, shouldn’t be considered legitimate options either due to injuries and struggles offensively last year in AAA. It seems there is nowhere to look but outside and if they were expected to make a move before, the Indians are now almost guaranteed to make a big trade or a larger than normal free agent signing in the near future.
