GOODYEAR, Ariz. _ There was a glimmer of hope on Wednesday night, a flash of optimism in the form of the sound of the crack of the bat and a ball hitting the roof of the awning beyond the right-field wall.
After Michael Brantley stepped to the plate in his Cactus League debut and crushed the first hittable pitch he saw for a home run, Opening Day seemed to be in view. Brantley felt comfortable in the batter's box, and the swing looked ready to go. But the swing isn't the main aspect to Brantley's recovery, and the Indians don't feel his surgically-repaired ankle is ready for the increased workload that the regular season demands.
So the Indians announced Sunday that Brantley will open the season on the disabled list.
Brantley, 30, has been rehabbing from right ankle surgery performed last October. He was held out of Cactus League games until March 21 but was able to keep hitting, the key difference from his last two springs, when he was working his way back from shoulder issues.
Indians manager Terry Francona said there was no setback but the team isn't going to try to push him too hard.
"I just think, after we put our heads together, it would be good for him," Francona said. "He's just not quite ready maybe to carry enough of the load. So, there's no setback or anything like that. It's just, after putting our heads together, and I give him a lot of credit for his honesty."
Opening Day is often the goal, but the Indians know the long view is what is most important considering Brantley lost nearly all of the 2016 season and much of 2017.
"I believe that," Francona said when asked if Brantley's past experiences have helped him this spring. "I think he's been really mature in it. Don't get me wrong, he's pushed hard, but I think he's been really mature."
With Brantley on the DL, Tyler Naquin was informed that he will be making the Opening Day roster. Naquin has hit well this spring, posting a .294 average and .906 OPS in 51 at-bats.
"He never backs down, boy, which we love," Francona said. "That's always been something we've admired in his game."
This effectively sets the first 24 spots of the Indians' 25-man roster. The final spot now comes down to Brandon Guyer's health. Guyer appeared in his first Cactus League game Saturday going 1-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch. Guyer has felt good, but his surgically-repaired left wrist, which was aggravated earlier in camp, hasn't been tested much. If Guyer also opens the year on the disabled list, Rob Refsnyder will make the team to give the outfield a second right-handed bat.
"I don't know how that's going to work," Guyer said Saturday, referencing his availability for the March 29 opener against the Seattle Mariners. "All I know is physically I feel good. I'm accumulating at-bats. I feel like I'm somewhere in the 20's right now. We'll see where it goes. But physically I feel great."
