Astros Get Important Update on Michael Brantley's Injury Timeline

After missing almost a full year due to injury, Michael Brantley is nearly ready to return to the field for the Houston Astros.

The five-time All-Star -- who hasn't played since last June because of a shoulder injury -- provided an encouraging update on Monday regarding his return timeline from last summer's season-ending shoulder surgery.

Michael Brantley Injury Update

While the 35-year-old won't immediately jump into Spring Training games as soon as they start this weekend, he plans to ease himself back into them and doesn't anticipate having any issues playing the field.

This is good news for the Astros, who've had trouble keeping Brantley on the field in recent seasons. He missed 41 games in 2021 and nearly 100 last season, not to mention all of Houston's 2022 World Series run.

While he's getting up there in age, Brantley has remained an effective hitter when healthy. The former Silver Slugger winner was an All-Star as recently as 2021 and was slashing .288/.370/.416 last year before going down.

Time will tell if Brantley can be that same hitter when he comes back, as he'll have considerable rust to shake off. If he does return to form, that will provide a big boost to a lineup that missed his presence during the second half last year.