The American League-leading Houston Astros announced on Friday that outfielder Michael Brantley has undergone season-ending surgery on his right shoulder.  

Brantley originally went on the injury list with shoulder discomfort on June 27, but general manager James Crick announced that the five-time All-Star underwent an arthroscopic labral repair.  

The 35-year-old outfielder hit .288 with five home runs and 26 RBI in 64 games this season.  

Brantley’s absence has opened up extra playing time for 27-year-old Chas McCormick, who has started 68 games in the outfield this season and hit .269 in July with an .865 OPS.  

Brantley began his career with a 10-year stint in Cleveland but has played for Houston since 2019. In 379 games with the Astros, Brantley is batting .306 with an .832 OPS.  

The 72-41 Astros hold a commanding 11-game lead over the Seattle Mariners in the American League West and recently surpassed the slumping New York Yankees for the top record in the AL.  

The Houston Astros have levelled the World Series after a four-run second inning and another Jose Altuve postseason home run to win 7-2 over the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 on Wednesday.

The Braves had won Game 1 at Houston's Minute Maid Park 6-2 on Tuesday, but the Astros showed intent opening up a 5-1 lead after two innings.

Altuve's seventh-inning solo blast extended the lead to 7-2, taking him to 22 postseason homers, equalling Bernie Williams for second in majors history.

The Astros second baseman, who has four home runs this postseason, trails only Manny Ramirez for postseason homers with 29.

Astros starting pitcher Jose Urquidy played a strong role with seven strikeouts with two runs across five innings, outpitching Braves starter Max Fried who allowed seven hits and five earned runs.

Urquidy becomes the fourth Astros pitcher to have seven or more strikeouts and no walks in a World Series. Eddie Rosario, who came into the game with 20 hits this postseason, had an off-night with no hits.

Altuve scored the opening run from Alex Bregman's first-inning sacrifice fly, before Travis d'Arnaud's second-inning home run tied the game up.

Houston blew the game open at the bottom of the second inning, with Jose Siri's RBI single followed by Martin Maldonado's single allowing Yuli Gurriel and Siri to get home, the latter after an Eddie Rosario fielding error. Michael Brantley's base hit drove in Maldonado too.

The Astros had five hits in the second inning, which matched their most ever in an inning in a World Series game, having had five hits in the second inning in Game 3 in 2017.

Freddie Freeman's single got d'Arnaud in for his second run in the fifth inning, before Ozzie Albies mistake on second base allowed Yordan Alvarez to score in the sixth inning, before Altuve's homered to left field in the seventh inning.

Astros at Braves

Both sides will travel on Thursday as the series moves to Atlanta for Game 3 on Friday.