Astros shut down five-time All-Star indefinitely after rehab setback

Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley was diagnosed with inflammation in his surgically repaired right shoulder, skipper Dusty Baker told reporters Friday evening (relayed by Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle). The veteran hitter will be shut down for an indeterminate period of time.

It’s an obvious setback that will keep Brantley from making his season debut as expected upcoming. The Astros had hinted last weekend that the five-time All-Star could be back in the lineup early in the week. That didn’t come to fruition. While the Astros are typically reticent with any substantive injury updates, they announced a couple of days ago that Brantley had left the team for further evaluation. That examination apparently revealed the new concern.

Brantley has not appeared in a major league game in over ten months, with his last contest coming on June 26, 2022. The outfielder subsequently landed on the injured list with a shoulder problem and underwent season-ending surgery to repair a labrum tear in August. He hit free agency after Houston won the World Series, but returned for a fifth season on a one-year, $12M contract over the winter. The deal contains up to $4M in additional plate appearance incentives, beginning at 400 trips to the dish.

Brantley opened the 2023 season on the IL as he continued working back from the shoulder procedure, with Houston sending him on a rehab stint with Triple-A Sugar Land on April 23. Brantley played in nine games and tallied 37 plate appearances for the Space Cowboys. That appeared to set him up for a major league return, until the shoulder inflammation that arose on the cusp of his reinstatement.

Houston had planned for Brantley and Yordan Alvarez to split their reps between left field and designated hitter. Alvarez has divided his time almost evenly between the two positions, appearing 16 times at DH and 15 times in left. Corey Julks and David Hensley have picked up the most extra playing time in Brantley’s absence. Neither rookie hitter has performed well, though. Julks carries a .260/.265/.365 batting line to date, while Hensley is hitting just .145/.244/.203.

The Astros have also had to weather an injury to center fielder Chas McCormick, pushing Jake Meyers into the lineup a bit more than anticipated. McCormick was activated after a month-long IL stint on Monday but has only played once since then, as he has experienced renewed back discomfort.