Astros Outfielder Passes Injury Rehab Milestone

Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley did something on Wednesday that he hasn't done since May.

Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley crossed a milestone during his injury rehab at Triple-A Sugar Land on Wednesday.

Brantley batted second and was the designated hitter against Reno. The milestone was that, for the first time since his rehab assignment started, he played in back-to-back games.

On Tuesday Brantley batted second and played left field, going 0-for-4 at the plate. Moving him to DH was an attempt to see if he could handle back-to-back games without a setback.

Brantley went 1-for-3 with two walks at the plate on Wednesday, but his production wasn’t really the point.

He played two games in a row for the first time since May 5-6, when he played in back-to-back games with the Space Cowboys.

Last week Brantley started his rehab assignment with three games at Sugar Land. Brantley had a strategic day off between each game, and that was by design according to Astros manager Dusty Baker.

On some off-days, Brantley would return to Minute Maid Park to work out with the Astros.

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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