Michael Brantley return: Astros left fielder goes 1-for-2 with 2-run home run to begin rehab stint

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Astros fans, tell your friends, mama, and your cousin, too. Uncle Mike is on the way!

The ballclub announced it placed left fielder Michael Brantley on a rehab assignment beginning Tuesday night with the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, marking 14 months since the veteran last took the field with the Astros.

Brantley surely made noise to begin his rehab stint. He hit a two-run home run in his second at-bat.

The 36-year-old has not played in a Major League game since June 26, 2022, due to a nagging shoulder ailment.

Brantley underwent surgery in August 2022 to repair his labrum and immediately entered the recovery stage. The team hoped to have him back on the field earlier in the 2023 season, even having him take nine rehab games, but Brantley was shut down for baseball activities due to what manager Dusty Baker called a “minor” setback.

“(It’s) very frustrating. You rehab all offseason, put in the work every single day and do everything the right way and sometimes it just doesn’t work out to your favor,” Brantley said back in May. “But at the same time, I won’t stop. I’ll keep my head down, continue to keep working and be out there as soon as I can with these guys.”

After the 2022 season, Brantley re-signed with the ‘Stros on a one-year, $12 million deal as a free agent.

The team did not offer a timetable for his return to the main roster.

In Brantley’s absence this season, Baker has worked in a timeshare between Yordan Alvarez, Corey Julks, Chas McCormick, and Mauricio Dubon to man left field.

This is Brantley’s fifth season in Houston. He was signed as a free agent before the 2019 season. He earned two of his five All-Star selections in the 2019 and 2021 seasons.