The Cleveland Indians have placed Michael Brantley on the 15-day disabled list due to lingering inflammation to his right shoulder. Brantley will be eligible to return to the active roster on May 25 because his DL stint was retroactive to May 10.
To replace Brantley on the roster, the Indians purchased the contract of Michael Martinez, 33, who can play both in the outfield and infield. Because Martinez was not on the 40-man roster, catcher Roberto Perez was transferred from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL as he recovers from ligament damage in his right thumb.
Brantley has played in 11 games and has hit just .231 (9-for-39) with no home runs and just two doubles and seven RBI with only a .561 OPS. He clearly has not yet returned to his usual form as one of the game’s best hitters, but he seemed to be making some progress. In his last seven games, Brantley was hitting .269/.321/.308.
A switch-hitter, Martinez has played for the Tribe before and in 2015 he appeared in 16 games and hit .267 with a .624 OPS. In Columbus, he’s hit .288 with a .793 OPS. In his Major League career spanning 204 games and 433 at-bats, Martinez is hitting .187 with five home runs, 38 RBI, four steals and a .492 OPS.
Either Martinez or rookie outfielder Tyler Naquin likely won’t stay on the 25-man roster for long as Lonnie Chisenhall is on the bereavement list and could be activated as soon as Sunday. Naquin was called up from Cleveland to take Chisenhall’s spot on the roster.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
