Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley is "100% available" and will not have any limitations in the ALDS, he told reporters Friday afternoon.
Brantley underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in August 2022, and he began a rehab assignment this past April. A setback had Brantley stuck on the 60-day injured list until Aug. 29, though, and he only appeared in 15 regular season games in 2023.
According to Brantley, he will be fully healthy for the upcoming series against the Minnesota Twins, which gets underway Saturday afternoon. Brantley said the extra treatment he got during the Astros' bye past the Wild Card round helped him feel much better.
Brantley is fresh off making five All-Star Games in eight years, batting .311 with an .844 OPS from 2014 to 2021. Across 10 seasons with the Cleveland Indians and five with the Astros, the 36-year-old Brantley has racked up 1,656 hits, 129 home runs, 125 stolen bases, 720 RBI and a 34.3 WAR.
In his limited time this year, Brantley hit .278 with two home runs, seven RBI and a .724 OPS.
Brantley's teams have gone to four World Series, but his shoulder was banged up when the Indians went in 2016 and when the Astros went in 2022. When he did play in the Fall Classic in 2019 and 2021, Brantley went 17-for-52 – good for a .327 batting average – only for Houston to lose both series.
In 19 career ALDS appearances, Brantley is a .269 hitter with a .703 OPS.
Game 1 between the Astros and Twins is scheduled to start at 4:45 p.m. ET on Saturday. The winner of the best-of-five series will face either the Baltimore Orioles or Texas Rangers in the ALCS.
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