After reeling off eighteen-straight wins — soon to be 19– the Indians now possess the best record in the American League. But Cleveland is still working through some injury-related roster issues as the postseason approaches.
In particular, with Bradley Zimmer joining Michael Brantley on the DL, the club is experimenting with utilizing longtime second baseman Jason Kipnis on the outfield grass, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports. Kipnis is nearing his own return from a hamstring injury, but Jose Ramirez now stands in his way at second with Giovanny Urshela settling in at third. While Urshela doesn’t offer much with the bat, he is regarded as a quality defender at the hot corner.
Given the team’s current needs, then, Kipnis can perhaps be of greater function on the grass. And he won’t exactly be hidden as he attempts the move: manager Terry Francona noted that Kipnis will receive a look in center field. Though the skipper also made clear that the team isn’t exactly committed to the move, and isn’t necessarily giving up on a return from Zimmer, it does seem the experiment will be given some run. It’s worth bearing in mind that Kipnis did features as an outfielder in college (and briefly as a professional), so he does have some background to draw from.
Kipnis says he’s happy to contribute any way he can at this juncture. It has been a tough season for him thus far. In between injuries, he carries a .228/.285/.409 batting line with 11 home runs. Defensive metrics have also soured on Kipnis’s glove, which had rated as a positive over the prior two seasons. If the move sticks in the short term, it’ll be interesting to see if it has any impact on Cleveland’s offseason plans. Kipnis is under contract through at least 2019 for a guaranteed $30.5MM, so he’ll return in some capacity barring a surprising trade.
In other news, also covered by Bastian, lefty relief star Andrew Miller seems to be on the mend from his recent knee problems. A plan for his return to the major-league hill has yet to be nailed down, but it seems that could happen in relatively short order so long as Miller responds well to a live bullpen session that took place today. With the division already all but secured, the Indians will surely be in no rush to get Miller back. Rather, the overarching concern will be ensuring that he’s at full speed for the postseason.
Wrong Jose Ramirez (Atlanta’s) is in the link
Urshela is not settling in at 3B. Yandy Diaz started there again tonight. Got 2 hits, scored 2 runs, and drove in 1.
Yeah I agree, I don’t even think Urshela has started a game in over a week. If anybody is settling in at 3B it’s Diaz.
Moving a 2b to the OF to accommodate a light hitting 3B. Seems odd considering they have a ton of outfielders. None of there options are particularly good but still Greg Allen, AJAX, and naquin are still options
I can not figure out what is wrong with Naquin.He got us thru last yrs WS.
The dude can’t hit a fastball to save his life
i do like urshela’s defense. and gonzalez’s. diaz is a little suspect but he’s clearly the best hitter of that bunch. i would still love to see urshela continue to get reps at third bc even if he doesn’t hit, that’s 2 gold glove caliber players on the left side.
I would actually choose Gonzalez over Urshela. Just as good defensively, and a better bat.
But Yandy doesn’t get enough credit for his defense at 3B. He may not be all flashy like Gio, but he is solid.
Urshela, Erick Gonzalez and Yandy Diaz are bums. Stick Kipnis back at second and Ramirez at third. Now’s not the time to be experimenting as the Indians gear up for the playoffs.
Disagree that those 3 are bums, but do agree it’s the wrong time to experiment.
If anything we should be trying Chisenhall in CF again (I know it didn’t go great the first time). But if we can find a way to get his bat in the lineup with Bruce and Brantley on the corners it’d pay dividends against righties come playoff time (and Ajax against lefties).
Still trolling, huh? Ralph, the more you do that, the more the fool you make of yourself.
Ironically enough, I’ve yet to see a post from that doesn’t reek of foolishness. Appreciate your “valued input”, again
Well, I wasn’t the one called out by the moderator. That was you, in case you’ve forgotten.
Come on Ralphie why are you so negative.Like I said, you should be a GM for every team in baseball.
It takes more than just a couple weeks for an infielder to fully assimilate to the OF. I hope it works out, but at this stage it makes more sense to leave Kipnis at 2B and move Ramirez back to 3B. Jackson is capable of manning CF until Brantley returns, and then they can try Chisenhall there. Brantley is such a slow healer. It’s hard to count on him returning at all.