Brantley has ankle surgery

Tribe must decide on $12 million option on often-injured player

Left fielder Michael Brantley underwent right ankle surgery on Oct. 18, the Indians announced on Oct. 19.

Brantley, 30, is expected to be able to resume full baseball activities in four to five months, according to the news release by the Indians. That would put him on a timetable to be ready some time during spring training, which will begin in late February in Goodyear, Arizona. The Indians are being cautious and pointing to the start of the 2018 season for Brantley’s return.

The surgery to stabilize ligaments in the ankle Brantley sprained Aug. 8 at Progressive Field in a game with the Colorado Rockies was performed in Charlotte, North Carolina, by Dr. Robert Anderson.

Brantley was an All-Star in 2014 and 2017, but injuries have plagued him the last two years. Complications from 2015 shoulder surgery restricted him to 11 games in 2016. He was having a fine season in 2017 until spraining his ankle in the game with the

Rockies. He ended up playing in 90 of 162 games, batting .299 with nine home runs and 52 RBI.

The injury history is a factor as the Indians decide whether to pick up Brantley’s $12 million option for 2018. The Tribe has until three days after the World Series ends to make that decision, team president Chris Antonetti said on a conference call.

“The good news is we have clarity about the path forward with his ankle,” Antonetti said.

“The outcomes for this surgery are really good. Based on the time frames we’ve been given from the doctors, we expect him to be ready for the start of the season or very close to the start of the season next year.

“When Michael has been healthy and on the field, he’s been an exceedingly productive player and continues to be a critical and important person within our organization. We’ve always envisioned Michael being part of our organization, not only in 2018 but beyond. The things we have to weigh are the expected level of productivity and how available he’ll be to perform.”

Brantley played only two games at the end of the regular season after the ankle sprain. He was part of the playoff roster and went 1-for-11 in three games after designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion was forced to miss most of Game 2 plus Games 3 and 4 of the ALDS with the Yankees with a sprained ankle.

The Yankees eliminated the Indians in five games after the Tribe had a 2-0 series lead.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE The Indians’ Michael Brantley has missed large parts of the past two seasons.