7:03pm: Clevinger is expected to be able to return to action in six to eight weeks, the team tells reporters including MLB.com’s Mandy Bell (Twitter link).
8:58am: Indians ace Mike Clevinger is slated to undergo surgery to repair a partial tear of the medial meniscus in his left knee, reports Zack Meisel of The Athletic (Twitter link). Clevinger has been on crutches after sustaining the injury while training earlier this week. A timetable for his return is not yet known.
While a meniscus tear typically isn’t a season-ender, it also seems highly unlikely that Clevinger would be ready to open the season in the Cleveland rotation. The extent of his rehab will be determined following the operation, but even a return on the short end of typical meniscus timelines would leave Clevinger with little (if any) time to ramp up for the season.
The Indians, for the first time in several years, will head into the season as underdogs in the American League Central — and the loss of Clevinger for any portion of the season will only dampen their hopes. The team is deep in pitching options, but Clevinger and fellow righty Shane Bieber were the two best options at manager Terry Francona’s disposal. (Carlos Carrasco, of course, is immensely talented but more of a wild card following last year’s battle with leukemia.)
Bieber and Carrasco figure to front the rotation now, and the Indians will likely choose among Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale, Adam Plutko, Jefry Rodriguez, Logan Allen and Scott Moss to round out the final three spots in the rotation. Both Plesac (3.81 ERA in 115 2/3 innings) and Civale (2.34 ERA in 57 2/3 innings) looked sharp in their respective MLB debuts in 2019, although fielding-independent pitching metrics considered both to be more than a full run worse than his eared run average. Plutko has been up and down with the Indians over the past three seasons, posting a combined 5.08 ERA/5.61 FIP in 189 2/3 frames. Rodriguez posted similar results to the rest of that group (4.63 ERA/4.54 FIP in 46 2/3 innings).
The 22-year-old Allen, meanwhile, is a well-regarded southpaw who came over in last summer’s three-team Trevor Bauer/Franmil Reyes/Yasiel Puig blockbuster. He’s light on big league experience but considered one of the organization’s more promising arms. Moss, too, was acquired in that swap. Unlike Allen, he’s yet to make his big league debut. He did post strong numbers in the upper minors in 2019, however, including a hearty 159 strikeouts in just 130 2/3 frames. Control is an issue for the 6’6″ lefty, but he’ll get a look as a potential option in the coming weeks.
Oh no.
Dang. That is a huge loss
Definitely NOT a huge loss. It’s probably a 4-6 week injury and you don’t need a fifth starter for the first month anyway. Plenty of starter depth behind him until he’s ready. No problem.
@jjp
Did you just infer that Clevelnger was a 5th starter”
“….. you don’t need a fifth starter for the first month anyway. ”
He’s arguably your ace, when 100% healthy. At worst he’s your 2nd best pitcher.
He didn’t infer it. You inferred it.
He didn’t even imply it. He is saying a team doesn’t need five starters in April, because of all the weather-outs and off days.
I dont think that’s what the previous commentator meant.
Thank you Marcus Welby MD
wha…
big problem. Without Kluber, Clevinger is #1 or close to it.
huge hit to the Indians chances in 2020. good thing they are in a weak division.
yikes. that’s a rough one
Dodgers won that non trade
The Indians are not easy to lowball unlike other teams. You weren’t going to steal Clevinger and Lindor from them like you do other players for your trash.
thats why they gave up Kluber for a reliever and deshields right? lmao
A reliever who throws triple digits. Keep laughing loser.
Wow I cant think of any other reliever that does that, definitely not any of the 63 minor league pitchers in 2018 that could (per baseball america) or the 31 different MLB pitchers that could in 2016 (per USA today). While throwing 100 is impressive, it isnt as much of a rarity as it used to be and its by no means guaranteed success. If 100mph was all it takes, Ryan Stanek couldve been had for much cheaper than Kluber
Face it, the Indians gave up one of the players in the game for a sub par OFer and an unproven, but talented player at the most easily replaceable position in the game. I’ll keep laughing as long as people like you keep defending salary dumps from cheap owners.
*Ryne Stanek
Listen, you can have all the reactions you want about a trade (opinions you undoubtedly will act like you never had should Kluber crash and burn) but when you dispute FACTS, you undermine any argument you might have.
And the fact is, whether or not he ever harnesses it as efficiently as Mariano Rivera did, Emmanuel Clase’s arsenal is not like anyone else’s in the game today. It is unique, deceptive, and potentially devastating. For you to dispute that, or cast shade on a deal that has real risks for both sides, or to insinuate that the trade stops at the water’s edge (which it did not, of course, for the funds saved were in part used to significantly upgrade the secondbase position, as well as supplement the DH spot, and will surely be available for mid-season acquisitions).
So, please, spare us your lectures about the Tribe’s “salary dumps” as if the Cleveland Indians are making money hand over fist and hoarding revenue, unlike, say, the Boston Red Sox or Chicago Cubs. Instead of tut-tutting the Tribe’s deep thinkers–who are the only small market team in the top five in wins overall the last seven years–why don’t you instead start educating yourself on the “Wonder” that is Emmanuel Clase so you don’t embarrass yourself again by lumping him into the ordinary:
blogs.fangraphs.com/emmanuel-clase-is-wondrous/
Good point. I know the Indians regret not trading Kluber last offseason. They may feel the same about Clevinger after this injury. Lindor is not going to have the same trade value with less than two years of control. If the Indians have to rebuild in a couple years all the blame will be on the front office.
Lindor should return more than betts given there’s no Price contract going with it…and, right now at least, there’s an extra year of control.
@ Good Guys
This is ridiculous. How can you ever “regret” not trading Lindor? Or Clevinger? Why even draft and develop a player like Lindor if you only have him for four years and leave his two best years to someone else? That’s dumb. Lindor is motivated to have his finest seasons heading into free agency, and you want Cleveland to trade him for cents on the dollar? Well, Cleveland’s not going to do it. And no one is going to give up what he’s worth. So the Tribe plays it out, has contending teams during these two years, and moves on with draft compensation afterwards, secure in the knowledge that they got the best years of Lindor’s career and with nearly seven great years of memories of him in a Tribe uniform. THAT’S what you draft and develop a player for, not to start worrying about when is the best time to trade him, good grief.
It would be one thing is Cleveland stinks, but this team is good and will remain good throughout Lindor and Clevinger’s tenure, so please, enough with the nonsense.
How do we know he would have torn it in a Dodgers uniform?
I thought i missed a trade to the Angels since he got hurt
Serenity now!!
But insanity later…
Youre not giving away my waterpik!
such is life as an indians fan ugh.
Speaking from experience, the problem with this kind of surgery is you can feel 100% after 6-8 weeks but you’re really at about 50%…varies for everyone but he shouldn’t rush it…too good of a pitcher.
I’ve had the same surgery on both my knees. The first was at age 14 and the second at age 26. Neither have ever been 100% since. They both go out on me randomly, and then sometimes both my ankles will feel sore at different times for compensating to hold the weight. If it’s his push off knee, that could screw up his mechanics for good. Before my first knee operation I played on it for months and didn’t even know I had a torn meniscus. While on the mound, my velocity was slowly dropping and my arm was getting fatigued quicker and quicker, to the point where I got lit up in my final start after going into the game with an ERA around 2.40. My shoulder was toast. My right knee knee was weakening, I lost my push off, and it took my arm with it. Then I went to the doctor, got the referral for the orthopedic surgeon, and then had the surgery. I never played again. Couldn’t even get a good throw across the diamond or from the OF anymore. Had I known better, I would’ve taken care of it sooner.
You had a partial tear?
He won’t be back on a MLB mound before early June.
Thanks for your expert medical opinion.
That’s a pretty solid time frame really. It will take time to get his arm ready also so June is about right. You played yourself on that smart move comment.
Hey everybody, we have at least 2 medical experts in this comment section. Wow, so blessed.
Anyone phoning the Indians GM to let them know?
Clepto. I’m a surgeon. June is probably the est case scenario assuming there are no setbacks.
Funniest comment of the day, Vin.
Surgeon? No. A low quality commenter? well let’s the unsilent majority vote on that one.
Put down the shovel and step away from the hole Clepto.
Kimbrel had a torn miniscus, he was out less than a month. But he’s not a starter. Pineda had knee surgery in late August, he miss the rest of the season.
This is not going to be as bad as the back that caused Clevinger to miss two months last year. It looks like he’ll be ready for an extended spring training around the start of the season.
I’m worried about his back more than his leg.
First, I’d bet my car that you are not a surgeon.
Second, even in the very unlikely event that you are a doctor. Most doctors actually look at the patient instead of reading an article about them through a 4th source.before making a definitive prognosis.
And I betcha my car you’re not Doctor. My yet you spew out asinine comments like you were one. Do you really think a surgeon or doctor actually needs to see a patient to give a time frame? When I had surgery my “doctor” who isn’t a surgeon suggested the recovery was about a month. The surgeon said 3-4 weeks.
My bet is that he is not a surgeon but he did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
My bet he is just an idiot who states guesses, uneducated ones at that, as fact.
Seems like a better description of yourself @clepto
So the real question is, do I still keep him for $10 in Fantasy? Or swap for Nola?
I’m in the same position. I’m throwing him back and redrafting him with the discount.
Do you have an IL? If so, keep Cleveniger for ten dollars. Based on history, it’s a month to six weeks
And I betcha my car you’re not Doctor. My yet you spew out asinine comments like you were one. Do you really think a surgeon or doctor actually needs to see a patient to give a time frame? When I had surgery my “doctor” who isn’t a surgeon suggested the recovery was about a month. The surgeon said 3-4 weeks.
I hold off for now and see what his return timeline will be. Hopefully he would be back late May or early June.
daaaang you have to pay to keep in your league?
anyway, this injury is very concerning. i’d be very hesitant of putting a keeper on him. Nola could bounce back. IIRC he had a pretty good second half after a not so good first half
You pay $5 over last year’s price. I only get him for $10 because of a loophole in the league, wherein he was traded during the year another team kept him.
Maybe next year, Tribe fans. Maybe next year.
You wish your team had the starting pitching depth the Indians have. See you in October.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO *BREATHE* OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO etc.
Oof
*amateur doctor enters the chat*
Dag-gone knee, lol
Fun pitcher to watch. Minnesota looks too strong, and I hope Cleveland plays the long game rather than rushing him back in a vain attempt to catch the Twins.
I think you’re right on this. The Twins landing JD and Maeda probably cements the division for them unless they have a Red Sox-esque decline. Indians can hope for a WC, but that’s going to be tougher this year than last since the division is a little stronger.
Twins will have to win every game 10-9 with their starters.
Berrios is solid and Maeda isn’t bad. It’s not a good rotation, but it’s not so bad as you describe it.
Good job Billy Eppler!!!!!
Tough break for them. Even as a fan of a division rival (White Sox), it sucks to see someone go down with a serious injury. With Rodon, Kopech, Dunning, and more, Sox fans have witnessed plenty of injuries to SPs. Best of luck to him and a speedy recovery!
I love Clevinger, and this is a huge blow to the Indians and to any Indians of their fans that are still out there.
While it is certainly not ideal.. the Indians had their starting pitching depth tested last season and it wasn’t an issue. They still have a ton of depth and the injury is seemingly minor. No need to panic yet.
A ton of depth? No Kluber, no Bauer, uncertainty with Carrasco and counting on Bieber,Plesac,Civale and Plutko to perform like last year. And we’re counting on the unproven likes of Rodriguez,Allen or Moss to step up and perform if God forbid another one of our projected starters gets hurt. Seems to me the FO has left us thin at starting pitching with the trades of Kluber and Bauer much like trading or failing to resign much of our run producers from 2018 left us thin on offense for last season. I’m a lifelong Tribe fan and will be forever so I hope you’re right but it looks like we’re banking on a lot of things to go right in order to contend this year.
I only get worried when the amateur doctor puts on the real latex gloves……
Dunno what the Tribe is up to. The Twins either got better or at least stayed the same; the White Sox definitely got better; even the Tigers should see some improvement. And who knows, maybe those Royals’ yung-uns come quick. Meanwhile, the Indians OF is…..ugly is too nice. If the pitching doesn’t excel…..
Hate to say I see Frankie somewhere else on July 31, but it’s looking that way.
Dang it! I am not even a Indians fan and I am bummed.
fellow indians fans come here to mourn :(
You know you’ve got it bad when a Tiger fan (me) feels sorry for your team!
lindor will be gone by mid July
the odds of that just went up…
It’s a White Sox world.
No, it isn’t.
The division is a Twins world until someone proves otherwise, which probably won’t happen this year.
Twins might come back down to earth in 2020.
Cruz and Sano are both going to be healthy and good this year? doubt it…
Sounds smelly
Come on. Coming off 72 wins and all puffy chested? Bad karma to cheer an injury anyways. Wait until Kopech, Giolito, and Gonzo are healthy themselves and the team is above 500 before declaring global domination.
Too many teams have gone from 70-80 wins to 90+ the following year to make your statement even remotely accurate. Improvement is never incremental in the MLB. All you need is talent and decent pitching to make a playoff run.
This sucks, wishing him a speedy recovery.
Indians must realize that making the trade is always better. If you talk and dangle your player’s out there for trade then do it, you had a great Kluber package but held on to him to see him become undesired and worth a bag of peanuts. Now Clevinger will be another Kluber. Trade Lindor and get that huge package you fools. You have two seasons before you lose him. Rebuild now Indiana’s, you ain’t going nowhere
Another guy living life in hindsight and/or working off a crystal ball.
……and misspelling Indians.
Crazy talk, the Indians are still in the playoff hunt today and with that staff they have a punchers chance come Oct
More than a puncher’s chance. Won 93 last year with a string of injuries to starting pitchers and mediocre (for them) years from Lindor and Ramirez. Other than Carlos Santana, it wasn’t a career-year situation in Cleveland and now they have full years of Mercado and Reyes, along with a pain-free Roberto Perez and a monster bullpen. This team is better than the one that hit spring training in 2019. Not saying they’ll win the Central, but I’m also not saying everything goes the Twins way again either. And what if the ball is de-juiced, hmm?
Hahahaha. Friedman the genius strikes again.
WTF!
hate hearing about these. dont care what team!
The Angels pitcher-injury bug is so bad that if Angels fans even think about trading for a guy, he blows out a knee
The kid puts so much torque on his lower body. This may be just another inns soon to be long list of injuries. Whatever happened to teaching proper pitching mechanics that actually protect pitchers? His picture above says it all. Hope he comes back healthy and doesn’t hurt his arm in the process because he’s exciting. But his longevity is going to have to be seriously questioned by every team going forward.
True. He reminds me a lot of Tim Lincecum.
This is why their pitching depth is a plus. They’ll be able to cover for him, and still have depth.
Yeah Good thing they have Kluber
This is problem with fringe contending. One trade then one injury, and their season is shot. They prolly trade Lindor now
Cheap ownership strikes again!
They did fine without Kluber, Clevinger and Carrasco last year, trading Kluber has little effect. They are very deep in the rotation.
See this is the problem with fringe intelligence, you think you know more than you do.
remember that time they did fine missing the playoffs? the indians now dont have Kluber, Bauer, and Clevinger, not to mention they didnt do much about their offense (again).
93 wins makes it most years, again they played longer last year without Clevinger, Kluber barely played and Bauer was more harm than good….still won 93 games. One player doesn’t mean the end for the season….especially for an injury that should only have him miss a month or 2.
is 93 wins in a division with only one other competitive team really that impressive? The Indians have only gotten worse, now even worse with this new injury, while the White Sox and Twins have only gotten better.
You build to get trough your division and into the playoffs regardless if it’ll take 84, 93 or 103 Ws…
The division improved and they got worse. They don’t have Bauer. You’re a fool to assume they will be as good as they were last year. Chicago and Minn aren’t gonna be an easy 18 games each
Where is all this rotation depth everyone is talking about? No Kluber,no Bauer,uncertainty with Carasco’s health and counting on Bieber,Plesac,Civale and Plutko to perform like last year. And we’re counting on someone unproven like Rodriguez,Allen or Moss to step up if God forbid another one of our projected starters get hurt. I’m a lifelong Tribe fan so I hope they’re right,but it seems to me the FO has left us thin at proven starting pitching much like trading or failing to resign many of our run producers from 2018 left us thin on offense last year. We’re counting on a lot of things to go right for us in order to contend this year.
And you’re a fool saying they got worse, considering they won 2 MORE games in 2019 than they did in 2018.
Choke on that, hater.
+suffer
Yeah, theyve gotten worse since the season ended. Kluber gone, Puig gone, Kipnis gone, Otero gone, Clippard gone. Havent brought much in except for the return for Kluber (which isnt that impressive) and you think theyve gotten better?
Ooo im such a hater because i see the farce that is the Indians FO. Cheapskates. I’ll enjoy watching Stanton, Judge, and Cole. Have fun watching Lindor get shipped out.
you are just another idiot troll, they improved second base in replacing Kipnis, Kluber had zero effect last year, puig was a rental and quite possibly a full year of Santana/Reyes is a huge upgrade in the outfield, Johnson coming up can improve the outfield and no one ever knows what’s in the bullpen til the season starts…not even if you the Yankees. Cleveland may be better, may be worse no one knows until the season is over. You can enjoy your team, try commenting on your team because you know nothing of the other 29. Like most Yankees fans, your an idiot
Funny that the Indians are cheapskates and could double or triple payroll to get in Yankee, Dodgers, Sox territory and still sit home watching the World Series with the Yankees fans. And we will have fun watching Lindor get shipped out, just another reason why MLB needs an actual salary cap like every other major sport utilizes.
He’s a Stankees fan? Okay, now it all makes sense, how he doesn’t know squat about anything.
Well, this is a bummer. I was hoping he was an option at the deadline for the Angels if we are in the chase.
He still could be.
If anything more likely he’s now traded in July, if he can get on a mound by June that is
Meniscus is a b***ch of an injury to recover from. Hard to know when you’re healthy (personal experience, injured+ re-injured left meniscus playing football)
As long as he’s back by June 29 to face the Astros.
But they’ll have their new signaling system in place by then.
BUZZZ Up and in BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ
Get out of the way BUZZ
Yeah should be a doozy
He can’t buy a break.
He didn’t have to buy one, he got this one for free.
That delivery makes him injury prone. Not a surprise.
Thanks for your accurate assessment, Doctor Sports Med. Wonder why the Indians staff never tried to change that? They must be incompetent. Maybe a job opportunity for you?? Good luck and best wishes!
The last place I’d go for medical diagnosis or treatment is the Indians’ medical staff.
I know, who would ever want to see doctors at the Cleveland Clinic? They’re only one of the best hospitals in the world after all! I could never understand why all of those kings, popes and other billionaires have chosen to go to the Cleveland Clinic? Stupid Indians organization!
Do you ever actually post about baseball or article topics, or do you just hover around and harass other commenters?
What MLB team are you pitching coach for and can the Tribe sign you away when your countries up?
Contract
Hahaha where are all the Angel haters clamoring for them to deal for this guy lol.
Angel curse
According to MLB Network radio, he’ll miss 2-4 weeks of the regular season. I’m a fan of Clevinger, so this news isn’t great, but it could be a lot worse. Glass full viewpoint I guess.
Sure, if everything goes perfectly. That’s about when Severino was supposed to be back last year.
Those EARED run averages are misleading.
Brilliant!
So which type of cheating is worse?
The one that you get caught for. Ask the Assholes. (or Red Sox)
My point is, I only see positive posts concerning Clevinger. Evidently, cheating on your spouse is no biggie for most baseball fans.
I’ve never heard anything about Clevinger cheating on his wife. But even if he has at some time, that’s not a Baseball topic. It doesn’t mean that Clevinger cheats in Baseball games..
If he has cheated on his wife??? It’s between him, his wife and God. But it’s not a Baseball issue.
No it’s not. But he’s scum because of it. No more of a role model than Berkman or Altuve
jerkhoff
Very creative. When you become an adult, you’ll realize how important it is to remain faithful. When you run upstairs to get some pudding, ask your mom about the importance of fidelity.
And that infidelity is not only speculative but between him and his significant other and inner circle. It has zero to do with his health or trade rumors which is what this place is about. But thanks for the idiotic input Mr. Morals…
PS: I’d rather ask your mom ;)
BTW, he didn’t have a wife, he moved on from his baby momma and looking at her social media activity I understand why.
Kiddhoff why don’t you grow up! He is not even married so stop with the lies and further for you to think that is the same as what Altuve and Berkman did just shows how ignorant you are
eppler dodged the bullet!
Looks like the angels may have won the vinnie pestano trade
^underappreciated comment
^Dumb comment.
Is Ross Stripling better than any of those 3rd option pool of guys?
Definitely better than all of them, Plesac, and probably Plutko.
Every ML team has to go into a season with the thought process they’ll need no less than 8 and as many as 12 Starting Pitchers during the grind that is a ML season. This injury will not be career or year threatening, especially if Clevinger follows the advice of the training staff and doesn’t push it. There is more than enough depth to make it to the A. S. G. but, the Indians would clearly be better WITH Clevinger on the hill.
Read for years, and havent commented. All this fighting finally made me make and account.
I am a Twins fan, have been since a little kid.
And I wish Clevenger a speedy and good recovery, becasue TRUE fans want to see GOOD baseball.
I’d rather have a tight, well fought season knowing my team faced the best of competition. Whether it’s the White Sox, Indians or my favorite in the Twins, best of luck, stay healthy and fight hard! May the winner represent the AL Central in the World Series!
Nice comment.. right back atcha..
Hear! Hear!
Lots of Tribe haters out there.. What’s the big difference between the 2020 squad and the 2016 team that was one win away from a WS victory? If they play to their capability and stay healthy, they will have a shot at the playoffs. Just like any other team in the playoffs, if get hot at the right time, they’ll have a chance at the WS.
It’s pretty much the same team.. great rotation, ok offense, good defense. Assuming Jose is back to his ol’ self, I would say this teams offense is a little better than the 2016 team. The 2016 team likely had a better bullpen, especially after the midseason acquisition of Andrew Miller.
The Indians were a 93-win team last year and were in the playoff hunt, despite all of their injuries.. I am not sure why everyone is completely writing them off this year.
You’re right. The team that started that 2016 season was horrible as well, hat they ended up with was much better.
The Padres dodged a bullet if reports of trade interest were true.