The Cleveland Indians have not been able to catch a break so far in the 2019 season. Whether it be from their abysmal bats, or seemingly never-ending injuries, luck has just not been on the side of the Tribe. Carlos Carrasco is the latest member to catch the injury bug, headed to the 10-Day Injured List, with an unspecified blood condition.
Carrasco will be joining other starting pitchers Mike Clevinger and Corey Kluber on the sidelines. Kluber is out with a broken ulna, and Clevinger is still suffering from a shoulder injury that he suffered against the Blue Jays back in April. Carrasco will be away from the team indefinitely as he steps away from baseball activities to focus on his health.
To add more pitching to the big league club, the Tribe has optioned Greg Allen down to Columbus, while recalling pitchers Jon Edwards and Nick Goody. Cleveland will be gaining Clevinger back in the near future barring any setbacks, as his rehab process is nearing the end. Mike will be making a start in AAA Columbus on Thursday.
The injuries for the club go beyond the rotation, as relief pitcher Dan Otero is out with a shoulder injury. Standout CF Bradley Zimmer is yet to make his 2019 debut, as he suffered a setback from his shoulder injury recovery back on April 3rd.
All hope is not lost with the Indians however, as they are coming off of a 5-2 victory over AL Central-leading Minnesota. The Tribe is now back to a .500 record and with 102 games left in the season, anything can happen. To make up for all of the missing players, Shane Bieber and recently struggling Trevor Bauer will have to bring their best stuff to the hill each night. Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana, and Jose Ramirez will continue to search for the offense, to keep the team afloat until the roster is back to full strength.
Terry Francona will have a tough task at hand while being forced to play many young and inexperienced players, while still balancing the playoff expectations cast by the fans and ownership.
The Tribe has a lot of division games left to be played, and Cleveland has won the AL Central in three consecutive seasons. There is a lot of baseball yet to be played and this club is full of resilient players.
Do not write off Cleveland yet.
