Indians activate OF Brantley for home opener

After missing the first six games of the season, outfielder Michael Brantley was activated for the Cleveland Indians' home opener Friday against the Kansas City Royals.

Brantley, who was on the disabled list as he continued recovering from offseason ankle surgery, bat fifth against the Royals. He went 1-for-4 with two RBIs as the Indians won 3-2.

Brantley homered in his first at-bat of limited spring training action, but the Indians decided to take a cautious approach to bringing him back full-time.

The 30-year-old missed most of 2016 with an injury, but bounced back last season with nine home runs, 47 runs, 52 RBIs and a .299 average in 90 games before being derailed by the ankle injury.

For his career, Brantley has batted .292 with 452 RBIs and 454 runs scored over nine seasons, all in Cleveland.

The Indians also announced they optioned outfielder Tyler Naquin to Triple-A Columbus to make room for Brantley.

--Field Level Media