The Houston Astros and their fans have been waiting for Michael Brantley’s triumphant return, but the path has been anything but straight. His recovery seemed to be going well, as he even rejoined the team on their road trip in Los Angeles. However, he has apparently stopped swinging during his recovery, and manager Dusty Baker says it is not a setback.
This is a strange situation for Baker to be calling it anything but a setback. If Brantley was progressing as hoped and expected, it’d be surprising to give him rest days just before returning to action. Players typically need to ramp up their baseball activities so they are primed to play at a high level as soon as possible.
Chandler Rome of The Athletic shared the confusing update via Twitter.
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The Houston Astros have not looked like the World Series champions that they were in 2022. This is due, in large part, to injuries to Michael Brantley and Jose Altuve. Before the update, it was assumed that both players would be back in action soon. Now, it is anybody’s guess for either of them.
Houston Astros fans are also dissapointed that they cannot be given clear and concise updates. Dusty Baker essentially described a setback, and then said it wasn’t a setback. While there may be some element of gamesmanship to that, this hardly seems like the time.
The Astros had rather incredible injury luck in 2022, rarely facing a long-term issue for a top player. Now, the tides have turned and the rest of the American League West is taking advantage. The Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Angels, and Texas Rangers are all in great position after the first month of the season. If Michael Brantley isn’t back soon their deficit could get even worse.
The Houston Astros have had to deal with injuries all season, and now there are fears that won’t end anytime soon.
Houston Astros need to find ways to generate offense without Michael Brantley or Jose Altuve
Without their stars, the depth of the Astros are being looked on to score enough to support their pitchers. Their pitchers are also very injured and are waiting on some key recoveries. Yordan Alvarez and Jeremy Pena are two players who will be looked at to fill these roles.
If they cannot, their fans frustration will only grow as the team stagnates.