The Cleveland Indians have announced that Michael Brantley has been placed on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation, retroactive to May 10. Utility player Michael Martinez has been recalled the Triple-A Columbus Clippers to replace him. This will be Brantley's second disabled list stint of the season after starting the year there with the same shoulder issue that he suffered last September.
Brantley has not played since a May 9 contest against the Houston Astros when he was 0-for-4. The star outfielder's shoulder is reportedly not bouncing back the way it should, making it difficult for him to play for consecutive days. If that is the case, it may be best just to let him sit out for a couple weeks and fully heal. The earliest Brantley would be eligible to play again would be on May 25 when the Indians face the Chicago White Sox in Chicago.
Michael Brantley missed nearly the entire month of April with the injured shoulder, making his first appearance with the Indians on April 25 against the Minnesota Twins. In his 43 plate appearances with the Tribe this season, Brantley is slashing .231/.279/.282 with no home runs and a 14 percent strikeout rate. He started out slow, going 2-for-15 in his first three four games, but he looked to be finally on the rebound right up until the injury including a four-hit game against the Detroit Tigers on May 5.
Michael Martinez will not be much of a factor on the Tribe. His role as a utility player is mostly already taken up by Jose Ramirez, who will be getting a lot more time in left field with Brantley officially hitting the disabled list. Twelve of Ramirez's 20 starts this season have come in left field already. Tyler Naquin could also be an option to play in left field, as long as he remains up while Lonnie Chisenhall is away from the team on the bereavement list. When Lonnie does return, Martinez would be my guess to be sent down instead of Naquin.