Astros convince retired fan favorite to return to organization in move fans will love

While his time with the Houston Astros probably did not end the way he would have preferred, Michael Brantley's retirement still stands as a significant loss to the organization heading into 2024.

While injuries the last couple of years sapped him of his innate hitting ability that made him a perennial All-Star, Brantley was still such an important leader in the Astros' clubhouse, and that's extremely difficult to replace.

The Astros seem to agree with that assessment. Sure, they have some leaders on the roster in Jose Altuve, Justin Verlander, and Yordan Alvarez, all of whom will play an important role going forward, but Houston seems to think that the team could benefit from bringing him back to help out.

Brantley will put on a uniform again as an assistant and join the Astros at spring training. What a development!

Michael Brantley to return to the Astros as an assistant

The exact terms of Brantley's re-engagement with Houston have yet to be determined. All that we really know is that manager Joe Espada reached out to Brantley, who lives in Florida, to get him to at least come into camp a bit to provide advice and guidance as needed. Apparently there have been multiple Astros players that have wanted him around to help, and he has agreed to at least dip his toe into baseball once again.

Whatever the extent of Brantley's role ends up being, this is a welcome development. The Astros are going through a period where multiple players will be hitting free agency soon and they will be playing under a new manager even though Espada is a familiar face. In an era where a lot of changes are happening (and will continue), having Brantley around will provide some much-needed continuity, not to mention extreme expertise when it comes to the art of hitting.

Who knows? Maybe this will only be the start of Brantley's involvement with the team. He could just help out in spring training, and then once he enjoys some much deserved downtime, he could eventually grow into a coaching role with Houston.

Based on everything we know, he could be a natural at it, and there's no doubt he would command the respect of every Astros player from day one.

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