Held out of play since June 26 with an apparent shoulder injury, Michael Brantley underwent season-ending surgery earlier on Friday. According to general manager James Click, the Astros veteran received an arthroscopic labral repair on his right shoulder and will begin his recovery. While they did go for a second opinion, the Astros collectively agreed that the procedure should be the next step.
In his age-35 2022 campaign, the former Cleveland Guardian sported .288/.370/.785 with a 129 wRC+. He spent most of his time in left field and was appointed as designated hitter for 35 games.
The Astros seem to be performing just fine without their star outfielder, yet his absence is not going unnoticed. Removed of Brantley, Houston is slashing .247/.316/.430. When put in perspective, the Astros would rank fifth in slugging percentage, according to MLB.com’s analysis.
Surprisingly, with Brantley installed in the lineup, the team performed noticeably worse. Their average dropped to .238 with a .418 slugging percentage.
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How Michael Brantley’s absence impacts the lineup
While Astros fans digest the jarring news, Dusty Baker will continue to exercise his three-man rotation in left field. Yordan Alvarez and Aledyms Diaz are the clear alternatives, and Chas McCormick has had his fair share of 20 games in left field. Although, Alvarez is typically situated in the DH spot and won’t be a regular in the outfield now that Brantley is gone.
Offensively, the absence of Brantley is most definitely felt. Aside from Alvarez, McCormick has struggled all season long, although his 11 home runs should not be dismissed. If anything, Diaz would be the closest offensive commodity that could compensate for Brantley’s injury. Slashing .254/.307/.426 is the most that Baker can squeeze from 32-year-old Diaz.
One upside to this news is that the DH spot won’t be an issue to reimburse. Alvarez continues to mount an MVP season and his role as designated hitter nonetheless. When fixed as DH, the 25-year-old cranked 17 home runs with a 16.4% BB rate.
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Houston Astros will miss Michael Brantley’s postseason performance
Evidently, Brantley’s availability is unlikely once the postseason comes around. Anyone who witnessed postseason Michael Brantley in an Astros uniform understands how his absence hurts the playoff roster.
Michael Brantley stats (career playoffs): .296 average, 4 HR, 25 RBI, .737 OPS in 54 games
In the Astros’ 2021 World Series run, the veteran bat retained a .319 batting average through 73 plate appearances. The previous year was even more appealing for Houston fans. Brantley slugged .558 throughout their 2020 playoff campaign while cranking three long bombs.
More or less, the timetable is unclear for Brantley’s return and the Astros can only hope his recovery runs smoothly.