Astros place five-time All-Star Michael Brantley on IL with right shoulder discomfort

With the likes of newly extended Yordan Alvarez, former AL MVP Jose Altuve and two-time All-Star Alex Bregman in the Houston Astros lineup, it's sometimes easy to overlook veteran Michael Brantley. The 35-year-old is a five-time All-Star himself though — having made the "Midsummer Classic" in both of his non-pandemic-shortened campaigns in Houston in 2019 and 2021 — and is in the middle of another big year.

Brantley entered Tuesday ranked second on the loaded team in hits (70), batting average (.288) and on-base percentage (.370), while posting an elite ratio of 30 strikeouts to 31 walks. The Astros announced Tuesday that Brantley is being placed on the 10-day injured list due to right shoulder discomfort though.

He was removed early from Sunday's game against the New York Yankees with the injury.

Houston (45-27) is currently 10 games ahead of the second-place Texas Rangers in the AL West.