Brantley served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 in Wednesday's 7-0 loss to the Rays.

EDGE Analysis

Brantley was reinstated off the injured list Wednesday after missing two-plus weeks due to a knee injury. The progress he made while rehabbing slowed, but Brantley is available to DH for now. His return should give a boost to Houston, which has lost five of its last six while scoring just 12 runs in the process.

The Astros reinstated Brantley (knee) from the 10-day injured list ahead of Wednesday's game against the Rays, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Reliever Josh James was optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land to clear a spot on the active roster for Brantley, who has been on the shelf since Sept. 15 with right knee soreness. Since Houston has essentially locked up the American League West title and is well positioned to finish as the league's No. 2 seed in the playoffs, Brantley may sit out a couple times during the Astros' final five games of the regular season, but he should be ready for a full-time role during the postseason.

Manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that Brantley (knee) could be activated from the 10-day injured list in the next two or three days, but he is unsure if Brantley will be able to play the field when he first returns, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

While Baker did not sound overly optimistic about Brantley's recovery from knee soreness, his update suggests that Houston has a good chance of getting the 34-year-old's bat back in the lineup for the postseason. Whether Brantley is able to play left field if and when he returns is another question, as the knee soreness appears to be of most concern when considering his defensive mobility. If Brantley is indeed unable to contribute defensively once activated, he figures to assume the bulk of the starts at designated hitter, which would push Yordan Alvarez to left field on a regular basis.

Brantley (knee) took batting practice Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

Brantley's progression from a knee injury took an unexpected turn last week, and an estimated return date is unclear.

Brantley's progress has slowed as he attempts to return from a knee injury, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Brantley was eligible to return from the injured list Wednesday, but he was not ready to be activated. Manager Dusty Baker gave an update Thursday, telling reporters that Brantley had initially progressed rapidly but has recently "hit a lull in the action." Baker went on to state that Brantley's return would take longer than the team had initially hoped, though did not provide any specific timeline.

Brantley (knee) is not expected to be activated off the injured list when eligible Wednesday, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

Houston manager Dusty Baker said it was unlikely that Brantley will be ready to go Wednesday. He cited the need for Brantley to run the bases again and take more batting practice, although he did participate in a full pregame workout prior to Tuesday's game.

Brantley (knee) will hit in the batting cage Monday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Brantley resumed baseball activities over the weekend after landing on the shelf with knee soreness last week, and his quick return to cage work is a good sign for his recovery. The 34-year-old should be eligible to be activated from the injured list Wednesday, though he's not guaranteed to be ready to be reinstated at that point.

Brantley (knee) will begin baseball activities Sunday, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

Brantley has already missed a full week with a sore knee, but the Astros waited several days to place him on the injured list, so he isn't eligible to return until Wednesday. Whether or not he'll have a chance to do so is not yet clear.

Brantley is receiving treatment for his right knee injury but is not yet ready to resume baseball activities.

EDGE Analysis

Per manager Dusty Baker, Brantley's knee hasn't gotten any worse since last Saturday, but because the outfielder missed four games through Sept. 15, the Astros decided it made sense to place him on the injured list. During Brantley's absence, his spot in left field has been occupied by Chas McCormick and Jose Siri.

Brantley was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with right knee soreness, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

Brantley hasn't seen the field since Saturday due to the knee issue and was already expected to be sidelined until at least Friday, but he's now looking at a longer absence. The move to the injured list should be retroactive, which would make the 34-year-old eligible to be activated next Wednesday, though it's unclear if he's expected to be healthy enough to play at that point.