Astros Outfielder Brantley Hits Well in Injury Rehab Game

Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley played his third injury rehab game in Sugar Land on Saturday.

Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley played his third injury rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Saturday night.

Brantley did not play in Friday’s game, as he worked out with the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Astros manager Dusty Baker said that the plan is for Brantley to play every other day for the time being. He also told reporters on Saturday that there are no plans to work Brantley at first base during the rehab assignment.

On Saturday, Brantley started in left field and batted second for the Space Cowboys. He finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI. Brantley got his first hit in the sixth inning, a single to left field. Sugar Land stranded him at first base. He singled again in the eighth inning, driving in Marty Costes.

Before Saturday, Brantley played in games on Tuesday and Thursday.

In his first game on Tuesday he hit a home run and finished 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.

In his second game on Thursday he went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

It’s not clear when the Astros will bring Brantley back to the roster, but his recovery from a shoulder injury has had fits and starts.

The Astros lost Brantley last August when he had right shoulder surgery for a torn labrum. At the time, Brantley was batting .288 and had a .370 on-base percentage, which was ranked second on the team. This came after four straight seasons in which he hit .300 or better. Despite losing Brantley, the Astros were able to win their second World Series in six years.

The Astros re-signed Brantley in the offseason, knowing that he would need a good portion of the 2023 season to be ready to play.

He started a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sugar Land in late April, but a setback caused the Astros to transfer him on the 60-day injured list in June. That was shortly before Astros manager Dusty Baker said that Brantley need to take a break from preparing to return, as he had “plateaued.”

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