Cleveland Baseball Club starting pitcher Mike Clevinger violated team protocols in Chicago and will not start Tuesday against the Cubs.
Zach Plesac was not the only Cleveland pitcher to go out on Saturday. Mike Clevinger also went out in Chicago and has been instructed to quarantine. Clevinger was supposed to start Tuesday’s game against the Cubs, but Adam Plutko will now get the start.
The reality is that both pitchers need to know better. The 2020 MLB season is incredibly fragile and unnecessary risks cannot be taken that could compromise anything. The concern here is unlike Plesac, Clevinger flew home with the team.
According to Jon Heyman, Clevinger was in a team meeting and defended Plesac.
Cleveland will have to monitor this situation carefully as there is a member of their team who is more at risk when it comes to COVID-19 than others, Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco underwent treatment for leukemia last season and decided to play this season even with the additional risks involved for someone in his situation.
Cleveland is now down two starting pitchers due to the actions of Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac. Looking at Cleveland’s schedule they have off days on Thursday and next Monday. If the quarantine period for Clevinger and Plesac is only the minimal amount of time Cleveland may be able navigate this situation.
If for some reason there is a complication and they miss more time than the minimum period that is when Cleveland will have some serious problems to face. The Cleveland offense has been lackluster so far and the team has been carried by their pitching. If they are without multiple pitchers for a long time because of violations of team rules they could find themselves in some real trouble.
