Indians' Brantley suffers setback on surgically repaired shoulder

Michael Brantley can't seem to clear that last hurdle.

The Cleveland Indians outfielder had his rehab shut down once again this week after experiencing discomfort in his surgically repaired shoulder and will undergo an MRI on Wednesday.

"He swung in one of his at-bats the other night and he felt his shoulder again," Indians manager Terry Francona told Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. "So, we kind of convened and the way he kind of phrased it to me was, he didn't seem terribly worried about it, he just feels like he's having a tough time pushing through the last little bit (of his swing)."

Brantley began the season on the disabled list while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. He returned briefly in late April for 11 games before landing back on the DL due to lingering inflammation.

Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti hopes the most recent setback is only temporary and Brantley is able to return this season.

"Michael was really encouraged, as he was working through this progression," Antonetti said. "Each step of the way, he was feeling healthy and strong. The other day, he just developed a little bit of soreness. We now need to hit the pause button and see what the next steps are."

He added: "We're not to that point, yet, (ruling him out for the season) we want to try to first understand what's going on. What's causing this to continue to happen? What's the root of the soreness he's experiencing now? And, how do we help him through that?"