Brantley experiences setback in injury rehab

KANSAS CITY — The Indians had hoped that outfielder Michael Brantley would be built up to playing in consecutive games by now in his rehab program. After another setback with his surgically repaired right shoulder, it’s unclear when Brantley will play again.

On Tuesday, manager Terry Francona noted that Brantley informed the team that he was once again experiencing discomfort in his shoulder. Brantley, who has been on the disabled list since May 14, is now scheduled to undergo an enhanced MRI exam on Wednesday in an effort to get more information about the issue.

“He swung in one of his at-bats the other night and he felt his shoulder again,” Francona said. “So, we kind of convened and the way he kind of phrased it to me was, he didn’t seem terribly worried about it, he just feels like he’s having a tough time pushing through the last little bit [of his swing].”

There had been growing optimism of late about Brantley, who as recently as July 5 said he felt “normal” after resuming batting practice. He then began a Minor League rehab assignment on July 11 and appeared in four games on an every-other-day basis. Brantley had three at-bats with Double-A Akron on Sunday, but was then held out of the lineup on Monday.

Dr. Craig Morgan performed surgery on Brantley on Nov. 9 to repair a labral tear in his right (non-throwing) shoulder, keeping the outfielder out until April 25. …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com