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Zach Plesac

Indians Place Mike Clevinger, Zach Plesac On Restricted List

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The Indians announced today that right-handers Zach Plesac and Mike Clevinger have been placed on the restricted list. Both pitchers violated the league’s health and safety protocols over the weekend when they went out after Saturday night’s game. In a pair of corresponding moves, Cleveland reinstated outfielder Tyler Naquin from the injured list and recalled lefty Logan Allen from the team’s alternate training site.

Today’s move subtracts both Plesac and Clevinger from the active roster, though they’ll continue to receive both service time and salary while absent, Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets. That differs from the restricted-list assignments that follow a PED suspension. In all likelihood, the decision was made in order to add a pair of fresh bodies to the roster while Plesac and Clevinger are tested daily for Covid-19 — rather than as a punitive measure. The organization can reinstate the pair whenever it sees fit, so long as both have tested negative at least twice (separated by a span of 24 hours).

It’s not yet clear to what extent (if any) the club will discipline the pair, although the team’s higher-ups can’t be pleased with them. That’s particularly true of Clevinger, who didn’t speak up even after Plesac was disciplined and reportedly took a flight with teammates after having been out. The Athletic’s Zack Meisel tweets that president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti declined to reveal whether Plesac and Clevinger would be subject to some form of discipline. For now, they’ll both be isolated away from the team for at least 72 hours while undergoing continued testing.

Indians Send Zach Plesac Home After Violating Health Protocols

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Aug. 10: Plesac issued the following statement late last night (link via Mandy Bell of MLB.com):

I would like to apologize to my teammates, the entire Cleveland organization and all of our fans for my actions Saturday evening. I realize I made a poor choice to leave the hotel, which broke protocols and could have endangered other people. I understand that in these times of uncertainty, I need to be more vigilant and responsible and I am determined to earn my teammates’ forgiveness and get back to work.

Aug. 9: The Indians have sent pitcher Zach Plesac home to Cleveland after discovering that Plesac violated MLB’s health and safety protocols by going out in Chicago on Saturday night, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Per Rosenthal, Plesac has been isolated from the team and will be required to quarantine for at least three days, with daily testing, before the Indians decide how to proceed.

The Indians’ action against Plesac is illustrative of MLB teams’ heightened diligence in preventing outbreaks of COVID-19 similar to those that have cost the Marlins and Cardinals considerable portions of their respective seasons. We’ve seen how quickly one case can turn into fifteen or more, as in the Marlins case, and teams would do well to operate quickly and carefully in their efforts to prevent such a spread.

As ESPN’s Jeff Passan adds, the Indians have garnered a reputation as being one of baseball’s most committed organizations in upholding proper coronavirus protocols, and their swift discipline of an emerging star demonstrates that commitment. It’s encouraging to see teams exhibit a willingness to sacrifice their immediate interests in favor of protecting the long-term health of the baseball season.

Plesac pitched on Saturday afternoon against the White Sox, tossing six innings of scoreless ball and striking out seven batters. The 25-year-old has enjoyed a brilliant start to his season, emerging as an increasingly reliable member of the Indians’ already-strong rotation.

Given the Indians’ schedule, Plesac was set to go next on Thursday in Detroit. Should Plesac consistently test negative in the coming days, it appears as though he could be cleared in time for that start, though of course the Indians may opt to take further preventative measures and hold Plesac out for a longer period in the interest of safety. And if Cleveland’s initial decision is indicative of their mindset, one figures that the club would not hesitate to err on the side of caution with such a timeline.

Indians Place Tyler Naquin On IL, Recall Zach Plesac, Outright Hunter Wood

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The Indians made a series of roster moves today, most notably the placement (retroactive to July 22) of outfielder Tyler Naquin on the 10-day injured list due to a fractured toe.  Right-hander Zach Plesac was called up to take Naquin’s spot, getting an early promotion to the active roster since Plesac is scheduled to start Tuesday’s game.  In other moves, right-hander Hunter Wood was outrighted off the 40-man roster and assigned to the Tribe’s minor league camp.

Naquin suffered the injury on Monday after fouling a pitch off his foot during an exhibition game.  Cleveland already called up Daniel Johnson for outfield depth while Naquin was recovering, but it appears Naquin will need more time to get back to full health.  The hairline fracture is just the latest injury to befall Naquin, whose 2018 and 2019 seasons were both cut short by hip surgery and a torn ACL, respectively.  Since finishing third in AL Rookie Of The Year voting in 2016, Naquin has only appeared in 169 games due to both injuries and inconsistency at the plate, though he posted a solid .288/.325/.467 slash line over 294 PA in 2019.

With Naquin out, Cleveland has Johnson, Greg Allen, Jordan Luplow, Bradley Zimmer, Franmil Reyes, and Domingo Santana as available options for the corner outfield slots, though Reyes ismore likely to be kept in designated hitter duty.  Since the club thought Naquin might be able to avoid an IL stint altogether, that could imply he might be able to return after only the minimum ten days, or perhaps not long beyond.

Wood was designated for assignment on Thursday, and will now remain in the organization after clearing waivers.  Acquired in a trade with the Rays last summer, Wood has a 3.32 ERA, 2.70 K/BB rate, and 8.4 K/9 over 86 2/3 career innings with Cleveland and Tampa Bay, though the home run ball has given him some issues during his brief time in the big leagues.  As MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted at the time of the move, it was rather surprising that the Tribe chose to DFA Wood, and it is perhaps even more surprising that none of the other 29 teams put in a claim while the righty was on waivers.

Indians Set Rotation

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The Indians have set their rotation to open the 2020 season, manager Terry Francona told reporters including MLB.com’s Mandy Bell (Twitter link). Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac have made the five-man unit.

That decision leaves righty Adam Plutko on the outside looking in. He’ll jump into the relief unit to begin the season. With the short run-up to the season, there ought to be plenty of frames to go around.

The 28-year-old Plutko made twenty starts for the Indians last year, working to a 4.86 ERA with 6.4 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9. He had a lot of ground to make up to catch the other two hurlers.

Both Civale and Plesac are 25-year-old righties who debuted with aplomb in 2019. The former limited opponents to 2.34 earned per nine in his first ten starts. The latter posted a 3.81 ERA in 115 2/3 frames.

In both cases, there’s some cause to question the repeatability of the output. Civale benefited from a .250 BABIP-against, though Statcast suggests he has a real skill for inducing soft contact — related, no doubt, to his exceptional spin rates. Plesac’s own .255 BABIP-against doesn’t seem quite as sustainable. Opposing hitters produced a .315 wOBA against him last year, but Statcast spit out a far-less-promising .343 xwOBA based upon the quality of contact.

Zach Plesac Hires CAA Sports

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Indians righty Zach Plesac has hired CAA Sports to represent him, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). The relationship is now reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database.

Plesac isn’t closing in on any major contractual milestones, but he has certainly raised his profile and with it his potential for earning opportunities of all kinds. The 2016 12th-rounder entered 2019 as a little-known prospect and left it as a potentially significant part of the Indians’ future.

Though he was optioned as part of the Cleveland organization’s coronavirus shuffling, Plesac certainly seems deserving of another full run in the rotation. He earned his way up last year with a dominant run in the upper minors and ultimately delivered 115 2/3 innings of 3.81 ERA ball in the bigs.

To be fair, there are some questions of sustainability. Plesac underwhelmed with 6.9 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, and 1.48 HR/9. Statcast identified a massive gap in anticipated (.347 xwOBA) and actual outcomes (.315 wOBA) based upon the quality of contact produced by opposing hitters.

It remains to be seen whether Plesac can recreate the magic — or, perhaps more realistically, continue to make strides to establish himself as a viable long-term rotation piece. But there’s little question he has done enough to earn a longer look.

Indians Option Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale, James Karinchak, Brad Zimmer To Triple-A

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The Indians announced today that four players have been optioned to Triple-A (Twitter link), as outfielder Bradley Zimmer and right-handers Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac, and James Karinchak were all cut from the 26-man roster.

Of all the roster assignments we’ve seen in recent days as teams make procedural tweaks well in advance of when the 2020 season could actually begin, the Tribe’s moves may have been the ones least likely to happen had the season begun today as scheduled.  Optioning this quartet of players gives the Indians a bit more flexibility in determining tougher roster decisions, and obviously any can (and likely will) be recalled prior to the beginning of official games.

Due to injuries to Mike Clevinger and Carlos Carrasco, Civale and Plesac were both penciled into Cleveland’s Opening Day rotation, and it’s a fair bet that both pitchers could have remained in the starting five throughout the year.  Adam Plutko was also in the mix for a starting job and, since he is out of options, perhaps had some advantage over Civale and Plesac in that regard, though the Indians could also have kept Plutko on the 26-man roster as a reliever.

Likewise, the hard-throwing Karinchak was expected to play an important role in the Tribe’s bullpen in the wake of a solid Spring Training and an impressive brief cameo (5 1/3 innings) during the 2019 regular season.  Karinchak has dealt with some control issues through his three pro seasons, though the righty’s minor league strikeout totals are nothing short of outstanding, with a whopping 186 strikeouts over 102 1/3 innings in the Cleveland farm system.

Indians Promote Zach Plesac

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May 28: Plesac has been called up for his Major League debut, the Indians announced. Lefty Josh Smith was optioned to Triple-A Columbus in his place.

May 25: The Indians will select right-hander Zach Plesac’s contract from Triple-A Columbus, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports. The 24-year-old will make his major league debut Tuesday with a start in Boston, according to Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com. Plesac is not on the Indians’ 40-man roster yet, but they do have an opening.

The nephew of former major league pitcher Dan Plesac, Zach Plesac has been with the Cleveland organization since it chose him in Round 12 of the 2016 draft. Plesac does not rank among the Indians’ top 30 prospects at either MLB.com or FanGraphs, with Eric Longenhagen and Kiley McDaniel of the latter outlet describing him as a changeup artist with questionable command. He also underwent Tommy John surgery during his draft year, though he’s not showing any ill effects from the procedure these days.

Prior to his major league promotion, Plesac began the season in dominant fashion at the minors’ two highest levels. Plesac stymied Double-A hitters before moving on to Triple-A, where he has recorded a sterling 2.25 ERA and 9.9 K/9 against 0.45 BB/9 over 20 innings and three starts. He offers a 94 to 96 mph fastball and an offspeed mix that includes a curveball, changeup and slider, per Hoynes.

Injuries in the Indians’ rotation, where they’ve gone without Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger for a large portion of 2019, helped pave the way for Plesac’s call-up. Both pitchers are progressing in their recoveries, though. Kluber, who has been out since May 1 with a fractured forearm, no longer requires a cast, manager Terry Francona announced (via Mandy Bell of MLB.com). The Indians will re-evaluate Kluber in two weeks. Meantime, Clevinger may only be a week to 10 days from starting a minor league rehab assignment, Ryan Lewis of Ohio.com tweets. Clevinger went to the shelf April 9 with a back injury.

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