MLB: Michael Brantley is long gone after surgery

Outfielder Michael Brantley has undergone surgery to stabilize his ankle ligaments. It’s going to be a long time coming out of it. Moreover, his future with the Cleveland Indians remains unclear.

Brantley had missed 50 games in the last two months of the season with a protracted ankle injury and was also limited in the playoffs. The 30 year-old’s recovery period will last up to five months. The operation was performed on Wednesday in Charlotte/North Carolina by Dr. Robert Anderson.

However, Indians team president Chris Antonetti assumes that Brantley “will be ready for the start of the season or shortly afterwards next year”.

Whether he will still wear the Indians’ uniform, however, is not yet clear. The team has a team option on Brantley for 2018 with a salary of $12 million. Alternatively, the Indians could turn the deal into a free agent with a buyout of one million euros. The decision on this matter must be made three days after the end of the World Series.

Antonetti and manager Terry Francona had recently made it clear that they wanted to hold Brantley. But due to the long breakdowns, however, this is no longer a safe bet. However, Antonetti stated in a conference call:”We have always considered Michael to be a part of our organization, not just in 2018, but beyond” One possible scenario would be not to pull the option, but to keep Brantley with a lower-paid contract.

This article was published without prior view by the Major League Baseball.