Indians’ Brantley could be shut down with sore shoulder

CLEVELAND _ The Indians are nearing elimination from postseason contention, and one the faces of franchise is close to being potentially shut down for the remainder of the season.tmpplchld Left fielder Michael Brantley has been dealing with a sore right shoulder since he injured it trying to make a diving catch in a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sept. 22. Brantley also missed some time in August with a sore left shoulder.tmpplchld He was out of the lineup Tuesday night as the Indians gather more information. Brantley is being looked at by an orthopedic doctor and the team will re-evaluate him on Wednesday. When asked if the team would consider shutting him down for the final week, Indians manager Terry Francona said, “If we need to.”tmpplchld “I don’t think you do it unless you need to,” Francona said. “I think our guys have done a really good job these last two months of playing through a lot of adversity and challenges. Again, there has to be common sense when it comes to injuries.” tmpplchld Brantley, who is likely to be out at least through Thursday’s game, is hitting .310 with 15 home runs and 84 RBIs this season while playing through a back issue for much of the year and now the more recent shoulder injuries. He hasn’t discussed his ailments with the media nor the team until it’s been necessary. tmpplchld “I know he doesn’t really like to talk about that much,” Francona said. “Sometimes I feel the need to protect him a little bit because I know he’s beat up. Other than that I’d rather leave it up to him to explain those things.” tmpplchld Brantley was a Most Valuable Player finalist in 2014 but compared to that production (.327 batting average, 20 home runs, 45 doubles, 97 RBIs) got off to a slow start this year, hitting .292 with five home runs before the All-Star break. Since the break, and the time off that came with it to rest his back, Brantley has hit .335 with 10 home runs and an on-base percentage of .400.tmpplchld It’s all been done with a cloud of nagging injuries following him along the way. tmpplchld “I think he was probably fighting more things than people realize, too,” Francona said. “He’s pretty beat up. He’s done a heck of a job.” tmpplchld ___tmpplchld (c)2015 Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)tmpplchld Visit the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) at www.ohio.comtmpplchld Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.tmpplchld