Cleveland Indians outfielder Michael Brantley is feeling discomfort in his shoulder again

Michael Brantley is feeling discomfort again in his right shoulder, and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday to try and sort out what the problem is. Brantley has been rehabbing for the last week, spending time with Mahoning Valley, Lake County, and Akron in hopes that he could return to the Indians when they return home from their road trip.

Brantley had offseason surgery on his shoulder, and has been out for most of the season. He was initially activated in late April, but struggled, batting just .231/.279/.282 in eleven games, and was placed back on the DL, where he's been ever since. He played on Friday with Akron, and was supposed to play in back-to-back games for the first time during his recovery, but was held out of the lineup on Saturday at the trainer's recommendation. He played again on Sunday, going 0 for 3, and didn't play on Monday.

While we'll know more after tomorrow's test, I think it's reasonable to plan on being without Brantley for the entire season. The Indians have done very well despite missing their best hitter from the last couple years, getting better than expected production from players including Rajai Davis and Tyler Naquin. With the trading deadline less than two weeks away, the team won't have a lot of time to decide if it wants to make a move to bring in a new outfielder, or roll the dice on the current crop of outfielders continuing to do well.