Indians OF Michael Brantley Will Resume Hitting Friday

Cleveland Indians OF Michael Brantley was ahead of schedule in his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery. At least, until he felt shoulder soreness after playing in two games and the team shut him down. However, Brantley will resume hitting Friday. 

"[He’ll get] a couple of days of cage hitting and then he’ll be re-evaluated from there," Indians manager Terry Francona told the Akron Beacon Journal. "He’s doing pretty well, but that’s the idea."

The Indians still feel Brantley is ahead of schedule, despite the setback. However, an Opening Day return is not likely. 

"In our minds, we were thinking mid-May as a reasonable timetable, and that it could even be later than that," Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. "Michael is so far ahead of that, that we want to make sure we don’t lose sight of that."

The 28-year old OF hit .310 last season, after hitting .327 the previous season. While his 2015 effort wasn't as great as his 2014, Brantley has proven himself as a quality outfielder. 

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