CLEVELAND _ Michael Brantley, the Indians' All-Star outfielder who has struggled with injuries the past two years, underwent surgery to stabilize his right ankle on Wednesday in North Carolina.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson. Brantley is expected to miss four-to-five months, putting his status for Opening Day in 2018 in jeopardy.
Brantley missed most of the final two months of the regular season and was then limited in the American League Division Series with a sprained right ankle. His placement on the ALDS roster was one of the more difficult decisions heading into the postseason. He was largely ineffective, getting just one hit in 11 at-bats against the New York Yankees. After Game 5, Brantley was in a walking boot and had surgery roughly a week later.
Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said on Thursday that the club had been assured that Brantley wasn't at risk of further injuring the ankle by playing in the postseason. He also said the Indians knew surgery was possible, but decided that any decision would come after the postseason.
"His ankle was unaffected when hitting," Antonetti said. "The places where he would have been limited are when he was running, and he didn't have a whole lot of opportunities in the series to run. But, to give you an idea of how Michael was feeling and the subjective reports, we were actually considering him as an option in the outfield based upon how he felt about his ankle, both the strength and the discomfort.
"So, I'm not sure. I mean, I know Michael didn't have a ton of success in the postseason, but I don't think the ankle was at the root of that."
The Indians have a major decision regarding Brantley and his $12 million club option for the 2018 season. The team has until three days after the conclusion of the World Series to either exercise or decline the option.
Brantley, a two-time All-Star, has been an integral part of the club for several years, but shoulder, biceps and ankle issues have derailed the past two seasons. He hit .299 with an .801 OPS in 90 games when healthy this season, but the Indians will have to weigh that productively with his durability and the chances he can stay on the field. It's possible the club could decline the option and still try to work something out, for instance an incentive-laden deal with a smaller base salary.
If he is retained in some way, it would be the third consecutive spring training clouded by the question of whether Brantley will be ready for Opening Day. Antonetti has twice since the finale of the ALDS said the Indians always envisioned Brantley being a part of the organization in 2018 and beyond.
"I think the good news about this is we have clarity about the path forward with his ankle and the outcomes with this surgery are really good," Antonetti said. "Based upon the time frame we've been given from the doctors, we expect him to be ready for the start of the season or very close to the start of the season next year, which would make him available to us.
"I think, what we've seen, when Michael has been healthy and on the field, he's been an exceedingly productive player and he continues to be a critical and important person within our organization."
