Indians’ Brantley hopes ’bad days’ behind him after injury

GOODYEAR, ARIZ. — Michael Brantley has clashed with self-doubt and depression while pushing his body.

The former All-Star’s light is flickering.

Brantley’s comeback from right shoulder surgery has been grueling for the Indians’ best all-around player, far tougher than he or the team imagined. And as the outfielder battles his way back, Brantley, who played in just 11 games and watched as Cleveland reached the World Series without him last year, has been confronted by his baseball mortality.

“He’s had to fight that thought that this injury can win,” said Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis, among Brantley’s closest friends.

As the Indians prepare to defend their AL Central and league titles, Brantley’s uncertain status hovers over the talented team’s desert spring home like a lone storm cloud on an otherwise clear horizon. Almost every prediction about the Indians is framed with: “If Brantley is healthy ... “

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