SUGAR LAND, Texas — Astros outfielder Michael Brantley is starting a rehab assignment Tuesday.
He's been working his way back from a shoulder injury that has kept him out of Major League action since last season.
Earlier this season, Brantley embarked on a rehab assignment only to be shut back down. During Brantley's first rehab stint with the Space Cowboys earlier in 2023, the 36-year-old went 6-for-24 with a pair of doubles, five RBI, 11 walks, six runs scored and just one strikeout.
He's joining the Sugar Land Space Cowboys and started Tuesday night's game. Then, this happened:
Brantley last played for the Space Cowboys on May 6 before his rehab assignment was shut down. When the assignment was shut down, Brantley expressed frustration.
“As a competitor, you want to be out there with your team,” Brantley told the Associated Press at the time. “I love these guys. I love this organization. No one is more disappointed than myself. But at the same time, I’ll continue to put in the work, keep my head down and be the best teammate I can and work as hard as I can.”
Brantley has yet to play in the majors this season. He appeared to be close to returning in May, but an MRI revealed inflammation in his surgically repaired shoulder.
“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 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.”
Brantley said he experienced a similar situation after shoulder surgery in 2016 while he was with Cleveland.
“Shoulder surgeries are tricky,” he said. “I understand that, but at the same time, I’m trying to stay as positive as I can and the whole goal is to be out there with my team, but I have to be healthy. It’s very important to recover every day to be out there with those guys but also be healthy as well.”
