Cleveland Indians outfielder Michael Brantley has been given the green light to continue his hitting program as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.
Brantley underwent right shoulder surgery in November. First projections had him returning in late April or early May.
But his recovery has been faster than anyone expected.
“There’s significant progression to go,” manager Terry Francona told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “The good news is he’s doing great. The hitting guys come back and say, ‘He looks great.’”
In 2015, Brantley “slumped” to .310 with 15 homers and 84 RBIs. The year before, he hit .327 with 20 home runs and 97 RBIs.
The Indians considered using Brantley in a “B” game on Monday in which he would have just played in the field, but he preferred to work out on his own.
Brantley says he will be in the Opening Day lineup. Francona is taking a more measured approach.
“I’m glad he feels that way, because he’s trying to push to be ready,” Francona said. “In fairness to him, if I say that and then he doesn’t play on Opening Day, it’s like, ‘What happened?’ That’s not fair to him. He’s done a really good job to get ready.”