Michael Brantley returning, hopefully for good

Cleveland Indians outfielder Michael Brantley is set to play with the big league club on Monday, which hopefully means he is back for good.

The Cleveland Indians have provided fans with both good and bad news today, all in the span of a few tweets. One tweet dealt with Cody Anderson being ruled out for the season after he decided to undergo Tommy John surgery, but the next one focused on two key pieces in the lineup.

We already discussed Jason Kipnis‘ status today, but let’s talk about the news regarding Michael Brantley. His return to the big league club comes after he has played in several minor league games, getting through all the action without any injury problems.

This is great news, but Indians fans know not to get too excited, especially after his 2016 return lasted all of 11 games during the regular season. So it is a tough spot for fans, who are happy to see him back, but who may be concerned about any potential setbacks.

But watching scared is pointless. If Brantley feels that he is healthy enough to play, it could mean his injury problems are behind him. That is, those that have kept him out during the past year.

The Indians will likely remain cautious as the regular season approaches. A start on Monday doesn’t mean he is going to return in a full-time role, and he may not even begin the season in the lineup. Even if he is fully healthy, rushing him back into action after so much time off could lead to other injuries.

The news about Kipnis may overshadow Brantley’s potential return, but his presence in the lineup in April would help diminish the negative effects of Kipnis’ absence.

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It is almost painful to forecast Brantley’s future, so let’s just see how he does Monday and go from there.