MICHAEL BRANTLEY NEWS

Makes return from IL The Astros reinstated Brantley (knee) from the 10-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against the Rays, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Impact Reliever Josh James was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land to clear a spot on the active roster for Brantley, who has been on the shelf since Sept. 15 with right knee soreness. Since Houston has already captured the American League West title and is most likely locked in as the league's No. 2 seed in the playoffs, Brantley may sit out a couple times during the Astros' final five games of the regular season, but he should be ready for a full-time role during the postseason.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Garcia expected to start for the Astros against the Rays

The Astros will send Luis Garcia to the mound Wednesday and the Rays plan to give Drew Rasmussen the start

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Could return in next few days Manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that Brantley (knee) could be activated from the 10-day injured list in the next two or three days, but he is unsure if Brantley will be able to pl...

Impact While Baker did not sound overly optimistic about Brantley's recovery from knee soreness, his update suggests that Houston has a good chance of getting the 34-year-old's bat back in the lineup for the postseason. Whether Brantley is able to play left field if and when he returns is another question, as the knee soreness appears to be of most concern when considering his defensive mobility. If Brantley is indeed unable to contribute defensively once activated, he figures to assume the bulk of the starts at designated hitter, which would push Yordan Alvarez to left field on a regular basis.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Takes batting practice Brantley (knee) took batting practice Sunday.

Impact Brantley's progression from a knee injury took an unexpected turn last week, and an estimated return date is unclear.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Blackburn expected to start as Oakland hosts Houston

The Athletics will send Paul Blackburn to the mound Sunday and the Astros plan to give Jake Odorizzi the start

SEPTEMBER 26, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Progress has slowed Brantley's progress has slowed as he attempts to return from a knee injury, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

Impact Brantley was eligible to return from the injured list Wednesday, but he was not ready to be activated. Manager Dusty Baker gave an update Thursday, telling reporters that Brantley had initially progressed rapidly but has recently "hit a lull in the action." Baker went on to state that Brantley's return would take longer than the team had initially hoped, though did not provide any specific timeline.

SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

McCullers Jr. expected to start for the Astros against Angels

The Angels are expected to send Alex Cobb to the mound Thursday and the Astros plan to give Lance McCullers Jr. the start

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Astros move closer, beat Angels in 12; Ohtani out at plate

Jose Altuve hit a two-run double in the 12th inning and the Houston Astros, after throwing out Shohei Ohtani at the plate to preserve a tie, broke away to defeat the Los Angeles An...

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Unlikely to be ready Wednesday Brantley (knee) is not expected to be activated off the injured list when eligible Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Impact Houston manager Dusty Baker said it was unlikely that Brantley will be ready to go Wednesday. He cited the need for Brantley to run the bases again and take more batting practice, although he did participate in a full pregame workout prior to Tuesday's game.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Junk expected to start as Los Angeles hosts Houston

The Astros will start Luis Garcia on Wednesday while the Angels are expected to counter with Janson Junk

SEPTEMBER 22, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Naughton expected to start as Los Angeles hosts Houston

The Astros will start Jose Urquidy on Tuesday and the Angels are expected to counter with Packy Naughton

SEPTEMBER 21, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Progressing to cage work Brantley (knee) will hit in the batting cage Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Impact Brantley resumed baseball activities over the weekend after landing on the shelf with knee soreness last week, and his quick return to cage work is a good sign for his recovery. The 34-year-old should be eligible to be activated from the injured list Wednesday, though he's not guaranteed to be ready to be reinstated at that point.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Batting title races jumbled as MLB season winds down

The bar for Major League Baseball's batting title is unusually low this year and that’s creating wild races for the honor in both leagues

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Barria scheduled to start for Los Angeles against Houston

The Astros will start Framber Valdez on Monday while the Angels are expected to counter with Jaime Barria

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Siri, McCormick rally AL West-leading Astros past D-backs

Jose Siri and Chas McCormick hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning, rallying the AL West-leading Houston Astros over the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-6

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gallen expected to start for the Diamondbacks against Astros

The Astros will roll out Zack Greinke to the mound Sunday and the Diamondbacks plan to give Zac Gallen the start

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Calhoun, Varsho key 3-run 10th, Arizona beats Houston, 6-4

Kole Calhoun knocked in the go-ahead run with an RBI single and Daulton Varsho homered as the Arizona Diamondbacks scored three runs in the 10th inning for a 6-4 win over the Houst...

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Set to begin baseball activities Brantley (knee) will begin baseball activities Sunday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Impact Brantley has already missed a full week with a sore knee, but the Astros waited several days to place him on the injured list, so he isn't eligible to return until Wednesday. Whether or not he'll have a chance to do so is not yet clear.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Getting treatment Brantley is receiving treatment for his right knee injury but is not yet ready to resume baseball activities.

Impact Per manager Dusty Baker, Brantley's knee hasn't gotten any worse since last Saturday, but because the outfielder missed four games through Sept. 15, the Astros decided it made sense to place him on the injured list. During Brantley's absence, his spot in left field has been occupied by Chas McCormick and Jose Siri.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

McCullers Jr. expected to start as Astros host the Diamondbacks

The Astros will roll out Lance McCullers Jr. to the mound Saturday and the Diamondbacks plan to give Humberto Castellanos the start

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

LEADING OFF: Trout likely done for year, Tigers play spoiler

Mike Trout is likely done for the year

SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Otto expected to start as Rangers host the Astros

The Rangers are expected to send Glenn Otto to the mound Thursday and the Astros plan to give Framber Valdez the start

SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

LEADING OFF: Trout likely done for year, Tigers play spoiler

Mike Trout is likely done for the year

SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Moves to injured list Brantley was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with right knee soreness, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Impact Brantley hasn't seen the field since Saturday due to the knee issue and was already expected to be sidelined until at least Friday, but he's now looking at a longer absence. The move to the injured list should be retroactive, which would make the 34-year-old eligible to be activated next Wednesday, though it's unclear if he's expected to be healthy enough to play at that point.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Garcia hits 30th HR, Texas beats Astros in Greinke's return

All-Star slugger Adolis García tied the Rangers' single-season rookie record with his 30th home run and last-place Texas beat the AL West-leading Houston Astros 8-1

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS