NASHVILLE, Tenn: The expected return date for Indians left fielder Michael Brantley was already unclear. As the winter meetings get underway in Nashville, it continues to get murkier, though the Indians are standing behind the original timetable.
Brantley had arthroscopic shoulder surgery in early November to repair a labrum tear that he sustained in his non-throwing shoulder on Sept. 22 while going after a fly ball in a game in Minnesota.
The original timetable for his rehab was 5-6 months, pinning his return in April or May and meaning he’d likely miss roughly the first month of the regular season. The Indians open the 2016 season April 4 against Boston.
It’s possible the original timetable was a bit too optimistic, though the team is saying otherwise. Peter Gammons said on MLB Network that, per a source, Brantley could be out until August. Anonymous sources with the team quickly refuted that on MLB.com.
The NEOMG then reported Brantley’s return date could be sometime in June, though the team reportedly refuted that as well and later posted an update from their official Twitter account saying there has been no change from the initial timetable.
Later in the day, the team doubled down on its insistence that Brantley’s timetable remains unchanged.
“There’s been a lot of information that’s been misreported over the last couple of days, which is news to us,” said Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. “Michael is on track for his recovery. … There’s been nothing out of the ordinary with his rehab so far. The timelines, everything we talked about still remains the same.”
Brantley will be checked by Dr. Craig Morgan, who performed the surgery, on Tuesday in Delaware. Through spring training, he’ll be flying between Cleveland, Arizona and Delaware as he continues his rehab, which will likely include time in extended spring training once the regular season begins.
Since he’ll be missing much or all of the spring, Brantley will have to go through a “spring training-like progression,” as Antonetti put it, once he’s healthy enough to get back onto the field. But that extra time was built into the original estimated timetable, and the Indians said they believe that has not changed.
“We were on the plane, actually. We got off the plate and we got a heads up saying, ‘Here’s what’s out here,’ ” Antonetti said. “That did catch us by surprise.”
Rumors roundup
Of course, the rumors fly freely at the winter meetings. Here’s the word after the first day as it pertains to the Indians.
The Indians are interested in Oakland A’s third baseman Brett Lawrie, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Lawrie, who turns 26 in January, last season hit .260 with 16 home runs, 29 doubles, 60 RBI and had a WAR of 0.6, per FanGraphs. Lawrie appeared to be on the fast track in 2012 and 2013 when he registered a combined 4.9 WAR in those two seasons but hasn’t yet taken the step forward so many thought he might.
Lawrie would be under team control through the 2017 season, as he’s currently arbitration eligible. If the Indians were to deal for Lawrie, he would take over at third base every day and signal the Indians aren’t yet ready to hand those duties to Giovanny Urshela.
Perez on the move?
Much has been made about teams’ interest in one of the Indians’ young starting pitchers, and that they might have to go the trade route to fill other needs. It’s possible they could move catcher Roberto Perez as well.
Perez, 23, hit .228 with seven home runs in 70 games last season and is thought of as one of the better defensive catchers in the league. Perez had a weighted runs created plus (wRC+) of 110, indicting he was an above average hitter and thanks to his defensive prowess had a WAR of 1.7, per FanGraphs, despite limited playing time behind starting catcher Yan Gomes.
If the Indians move a starting pitcher for offensive help, they could find a trade partner with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is reporting that the Diamondbacks are searching for a starting pitcher through a trade, and the Indians certainly could be a fit.
The Diamondbacks have a talented outfield, led by A.J. Pollock, David Peralta and Ender Inciarte, and might be willing to part with one to improve their rotation.
Renewed interest
The Indians are also showing interest in 35-year-old outfielder Shane Victorino, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. Victorino’s name has been connected with the Indians previously, as he’d be an affordable option in the outfield.
He hasn’t played center field on a regular basis since 2012, so he’d primarily be looked at as a corner outfielder.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ