Cleveland Indians: Michael Brantley looks great in Cactus League debut

Michael Brantley made his return to the Cleveland Indians on Monday, and looked great as he continues to make his comeback.

Michael Brantley is back. Well, he made his Cactus League debut with the Cleveland Indians today, and he sure looked like his old self.

He finished with two hits and reached base in all three at-bats. On a day when Yandy Diaz is dominating, it is nice to see that line from Brantley.

One game is a bit soon to predict his status for Opening Day, but if he continues to play and feels no pain, he is going to be out there. Even if the team is cautious, he may be in the lineup by the time the team heads to Cleveland after the road trip to begin the year.

This team is deep enough to do fine without Brantley, as was proven last year, but his presence helps make the team a legitimate World Series contender once again. They can make it there without him, but it will be a tougher fight.

Brantley is notoriously short in interviews, so it is hard to get a great read on how he is feeling. But he has not stated he is feeling any pain, so let the optimism continue to build.

After being rushed back a season ago, the team is not going to make the same mistake twice. So with Jason Kipnis already expected to miss most of April, the Opening Day lineup may be a bit different than what fans originally expected. But with Brantley seemingly ready and Kipnis continuing to work toward returning, things should be back to normal in May.

Next: Yandy Diaz may be solution while Kipnis is out

For now, it’s nice to see Brantley back on the field. Oh, and reaching base three times in his first game back isn’t too bad either.