Astros’ Brantley to miss at least three weeks

Michael Brantley is back with the Astros for the team’s Championship Weekend festivities, but it will be at least another three weeks before he gets back on the field, Astros general manager Dana Brown said Thursday. 

“We’ve gotta get him in some games down in Florida,” Brown said. “Then he’ll get some games in Triple-A, and when he’s pain-free, we’ll get him back up here as soon as we can.”

The Astros placed Brantley on the 10-day injured list Thursday. He’ll report to the Astros’ spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he’ll have an opportunity to play in extended spring training games, after which he’ll begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land. Brown did not layout a timetable for when Brantley will reach those steps, but he did clarify that Brantley is not feeling pain. 

“Every now and then, he’ll take some swings and he’ll get a little fatigue, so it’s more fatigue than it is pain, discomfort, but he’s coming along fine.”

Brantley, 35, did not play again last season after leaving the Astros’ loss at Yankee Stadium on June 26 in the eighth inning due to a right shoulder surgery that required surgery in August. He signed a one-year, $12 million contract with the Astros in December. He could swing the bat during spring training, but he did not play in a Grapefruit League game or face live pitching.