Indians: Next Man Up – Pitching

The starting rotation is off to an excellent start of the season. The pitching is keeping opposing teams swinging and missing and runs off the board. The bats and offense have struggled, but pitching has kept them in the game. Then, starting pitcher, Mike Clevinger was placed on the IL and will be out indefinitely. With Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis still out with injuries, adding another star player to the IL is not what the Indians needed. However, it’s what the Indians are now dealing with now.

Clevinger was brilliant in his first two starts of the season. Through 12 innings, he allowed only two hits, struck out 22, gave up zero runs, and a WHIP of 0.50. Unfortunately, something didn’t feel right in his last start on April 7th against the Blue Jays. After only five innings, he was removed from the game. Initially thought to be some discomfort in the back and mild muscle spasms, it turned out to be a lot worse. On April 9th it was confirmed via MRI, that Mike Clevinger has a high grade strain of his Teres muscle. This is an major back muscle located close to the rotator cuff. Clevinger will begin treatment and rehab immediately but will not participate in any baseball activities for at least six to eight weeks.

With the season just under way, this now leads to the question, who will replace Clevinger in the rotation? The Indians called up relief pitcher, Nick Wittgren to add depth to their bullpen and take the place of Clevinger on the active roster. This however does not address who will fill the starting role needed when Clevinger’s turn in the order comes around on Saturday, April 13th. Another move will have to be made soon. Back to the question of, who?

Minor League Options Available

First thoughts would go to Adam Plutko at AAA Columbus. He performed admirably in his spot start duties last year with the Indians. In 17 appearances he posted a 4-5 record and logged 76.2 IP. He also gave the Indians reliability and innings when it was desperately needed. Unfortunately, Plutko suffered a muscle strain in his right forearm which placed him on the minor league IL. His timetable to return is unknown at this point.

Cody Anderson has experience with the Indians and was on the fast track for being a part of the Indians rotation in 2015 when he posted a 7-3 record and 3.05 ERA. Unfortunately oblique injuries in 2016 sidetracked his performance. Season ending Tommy John surgery took him completely out of 2017 and the majority of 2018. He came back to spring training this season with a clean bill of health, strong and ready to prove he’s able to compete again. He was assigned to AAA Columbus to begin the season. The plan from the Indians was to stretch him out and condition him again for long outings. With the MiLB season just under way, Anderson has only made one start, for only three innings. It would be questionable to rush him back into the major league spotlight and expect him to perform properly at that level quite yet.

Other options at Triple-A Columbus include Asher Wojciechowski, Jefry Rodriguez, and Chih-Wei Hu. Of that group, Wojciechowski and Rodriguez might match up the best. They both pitched into the sixth inning of their first starts of the season and saw plenty of MLB hitters recently during spring training. Cleveland will call up Rodriguez for Saturday’s start and will evaluate their options afterwards.

What about Danny Salazar or top prospect Triston McKenzie?

Danny Salazar is still on a rehab assignment and at extended spring training in Arizona. He just recently started throwing short bullpen sessions and the Indians didn’t have a timetable for his return. Team president Chris Antonetti expressed optimism in his return this season, but also stated “summer at best” as an answer to the when question.

Triston McKenzie has quickly rose through the Indians farm system and is their top pitching prospect. He has shown brilliance and posted impressive numbers. In four MiLB seasons he owns a 26-16 record, 2.68 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 396 SO, and has kept opposing batters to a .194 AVG. Unfortunately, McKenzie suffered a back strain/muscle injury on March 9th. This shuts him down for at least 6 weeks while he recovers and then begins conditioning again.

Could the Bullpen be the answer?

In the recent past when injuries have struck the Indians starting pitching, the team turned to a slightly unconventional method for dealing with the issue of replacing a starter. They simply didn’t. They turned to their bullpen when needed and asked them to throw a bullpen game. It was truly a group effort. Every man gave all he had to complete the game and give the team a chance to win. For the most part it worked out. While that idea may work in dire situations and for short spans, it does tax the bullpen arms. This early in the season you can’t expect them to do their relief duties as called upon and prepare for an every fifth day job as well. While it may work short term, the effects and tiredness on their arms would certainly be felt at another point in the season.

External Options

Maybe at this point the Indians need to look outside of their organization to find a steady and reliable starter. With spring training just completed, the 2019 season underway, and rosters set, who’s even still available? There are some very interesting options.

The top available free agent pitcher still available is former Houston Astros starter Dallas Keuchel. A 2015 Cy Young Award winner, 2017 World Series champ, and something the Indians could desperately use, a lefty starter. Of course Keuchel would come at a hefty price. The Indians committed to going leaner in the salary department this off-season. However,they indicated that money could be spent later in the season and at the trade deadline if the player they needed was available. Could that money be allocated to signing Keuchel now? How good would he look and fit in with the rotation? Can you imagine two Cy Young winners in Kluber and Keuchel along with two potential winners in Bauer and Carrasco, then young phenom Bieber. That is a great option.

There are some innings eaters and solid work horses that could also fill the role. Chris Tilman, Yovani Gallardo, James Shields, and Mat Latos are available and could come at a reasonable price on a minor league or one year deal. Perhaps even recently retired Doug Fister or Brandon McCarthy could be enticed to pitch one more season. Former Indian and crowd favorite Bartolo Colon could be a fun and interesting option as well.

Is a trade an option?

Of course a trade is always a possibility. The question is who are the Indians willing to depart with and what team is willing to deal this early in the season. The team with the piece the Indians need would certainly have the upper hand in any dealings of a trade.

Manager Terry Francona has confidence

Confident as ever manager Terry Francona, while concerned and upset at the news of Clevinger’s injury, calmly said “we’ll figure it out…I always feel like we will.” When asked who might make the next start for Clevinger when his turn comes around on Saturday he stated “The coaching staff and I will look at all options, guys in the minors, guys who can give us some innings, players who we feel will match up well” Asked if the Indians looked at any available free agents the team could bring in, Francona laughed and said “those are questions for Chris (Antonetti) and Mark (Chernoff) and his staff to answer, right now we’ve got three day games against the Tigers I’m concentrating on”.

Pitching was supposed to be the strength of this year’s team, and it still is. The rotation is set for now with Kluber, Bauer, Carrasco, and Bieber . Most teams would love to have those four as their starters. It’s now a matter of the Indians figuring out who will fill Clevinger’s shoes. It could be spot starts and match ups as needed from the guys available at AAA. It could be the occasional bullpen game that Francona has deployed in the past. External options exist. It’s just a matter of cost and who fits best with this team. Like recent past teams and the current roster, a player or players needs to step up, put forth his best efforts, and get the job done.