Cleveland Indians: The annual practice of unclear injury timetables

Cleveland Indians fans are waiting for an update on Michael Brantley, but nothing definitive seems to be coming forward anytime soon.

It is March which means it is once again time to wonder if Michael Brantley will be ready for Opening Day. This has become an annual practice for Cleveland Indians fans the past few years with Brantley and other players, as the team is always quiet about injury timetables.

This is completely understandable, and sometimes the team may not even know. It’s up to the player to honestly share their current status.

But Brantley stands out as a point of frustration for some fans after the team picked up his $12 million option for this season. If he is still dealing with injuries, that money could have been spent elsewhere.

The latest update is nothing more than the usual, as Brantley has been working out but still isn’t back to a full-time role.

The lack of an update will get more frustrating as the month rolls on, so hopefully Brantley’s ankle can hold up and he can look to return to the All-Star Game in 2018.

The good news is that even if Brantley isn’t ready for Opening Day, there is no shortage of depth in the organization. Players like Tyler Naquin, Rajai Davis, Melvin Upton Jr., Greg Allen and others provide some options with varying levels of experience. This is much better than deciding between Marlon Byrd and Collin Cowgill, who both appeared in the 2016 Opening Day lineup. Isn’t that crazy?

The Indians open the season four weeks from today, which is just insane, and right now it may not make sense to rush Brantley back if his situation is still up in the air. While his $12 million salary should mean he is a key fixture in the lineup all season, it also means the team doesn’t want to rush him back early only for him to sustain another injury.

Next: Players who have stood out so far this spring

Fans can be angry all they want but it won’t change anything. And by now everyone should be used to this. It wouldn’t be an Indians season without a little bit of drama surrounding an injured player.