GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Michael Brantley can do almost everything he's supposed to do on a baseball field. He can run, catch and throw. The one thing he can't do is the one thing everybody wants to talk to him about. Hey, hitting a baseball is a big deal when that's what you get paid to do http://www.indiansfanshop.com/5-Indians_Bob_Feller_Jersey. But Brantley told reporters Monday morning that he's getting closer to putting bat to ball. "We'll find out soon," said Brantley. "There's a whole schedule laid out and I know we've got to go over it and kind of see how each day lines up. I'm not sure where we're going from here right now, but we should be starting to hit some baseballs here soon." In fact, Brantley has already been hitting balls off a tee. "I hit a couple of balls on Saturday and it felt good," said Brantley. "I'm happy where I'm at. It's a slow process, but you've got to take baby steps and we took the first step already." Indians' Michael Brantley making progress On Monday, Brantley was talking about hitting pitched balls as he continues to recover from surgery on his right shoulder in November. "It feels like it's going very slow," said Brantley of his rehab program. "It's a long process http://www.indiansfanshop.com/15-Indians_Michael_Brantley_Jersey, but a good process. The training staff has me working hard." Brantley usually starts hitting in November, but not this November. This November he had a torn labrum in his right shoulder repaired by Dr. Craig Morton. After the surgery, Brantley spent a majority of the winter in Cleveland rehabbing. The injury happened on Sept. 22 when Brantley tried to make a diving catch against the Twins in left center field. He jammed his shoulder in the attempt and played just two more games the rest of the year. Brantley went through a return-to-hit program at the end of the season to make sure his shoulder was all right. When the shoulder didn't respond http://www.indiansfanshop.com/19-Indians_Satchel_Paige_Jersey, surgery was ordered. "It just wasn't feeling right," said Brantley. "I wasn't feeling stable enough where I felt confident enough in my shoulder that I was going to last a whole year. I thought I may have been able to get away with it, but at the same time I wanted to be healthy." Tribe's Brantley could miss part of April Manager Terry Francona says Brantley is doing well in his rehab. "He's going fast," said Francona The Indians, however, have not changed the timeline on Brantley's return. They said he'd miss five to six months following the surgery and expect him to open the season on the disabled list. "I want to be back as soon as I can," said Brantley. "That's opening day. If it's not opening day, whenever I can get back to helping my teammates. The sooner I can get out there with them, the happier I'm going to be." A healthy Brantley is critical to whatever success awaits the Indians this year. The Indians needed offense after last season, but they refused to plunder their state-of-the-art pitching staff to do it. Instead they added veterans Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis and Juan Uribe, providing he passes his physical. Those are three right-handed hitters who have had success in the past, but what the Indians really need is Brantley back in the No.3 spot doing what he does best. Here are Brantley's numbers over the last four years: 2012: .288 (159-for-552), 37 doubles, six homers, 60 RBI. 2013: .284 (158-for-556), 26 doubles, 10 homers, 73 RBI. 2014: .327 (200-for-611), 45 doubles, 20 homers, 97 RBI. 2015: 310 (164-for-529), 45 doubles, 15 homers, 84 RBI. Brantley has hit .335 (181-for-540) with runners in scoring position over those four years. In his career, he's hitting .329 (232-for-705) with runners in scoring position. So while Brantley will take fly balls and make throws from the outfield with his teammates this spring, when it comes time to hit he'll be on his own program. Should he not be ready when the Indians open the season on April 4, Brantley said, "It would be difficult to watch, but it will only make me want to come back more."