Civale throws sim game, 'pen session next

MINNEAPOLIS -- Just one bullpen session is standing between Aaron Civale and his rehab assignment.

Civale threw 35 pitches in a simulated game in Akron on Tuesday afternoon. Although it was scheduled to be on the field and was shifted to the batting cages due to a threat of rain, the right-hander was still able to work in all of his offerings and complete one of the final steps before possibly getting the green light to begin his rehab assignment.

Indians general manager Mike Chernoff said that Civale will have a bullpen session -- most likely on Friday -- when the team returns home from Minnesota. Assuming Civale doesn’t have any flare-ups during that, Chernoff said Civale’s next step would be starting his rehab assignment on Sunday.

“He felt great coming out of [the simulated game],” Chernoff said. “I think he’ll throw a bullpen [session] in a couple of days when the team gets back home and then we’re hoping -- we’ll see how that goes -- that his next outing could be a rehab outing. A full rehab outing.”

Civale has been on the injured list since June 21 with a sprained right middle finger, which he sustained in the middle of an at-bat in his last outing against the Cubs. But now, all signs are pointing toward Civale getting back in the Indians’ rotation over the coming weeks.

The club currently has a four-man rotation and has been relying on its bullpen every fifth day. However, with an off-day on Thursday and each of the next two Mondays, Chernoff said the team is still working through whether it will give its starters extra rest or just skip over the bullpen days and rely on a four-man rotation with the flexibility the off-days provide. Regardless, Civale will have an open spot waiting for him when he’s ready to return.

The Indians have rotated through hurlers Logan Allen, J.C. Mejia, Eli Morgan, Cal Quantrill, Triston McKenzie and Sam Hentges to fill the vacancies left by injuries to Civale, Shane Bieber and Zach Plesac (who’s since returned). For a club that’s become so dependent on its rotation, this wasn’t an ideal situation, but Chernoff has focused on the positives that have come out of it.

“We wanted our big three guys at the top of the rotation for the whole year, and we had gotten through last year so healthy,” Chernoff said. “There were a lot of things we were looking forward to this year. So it’s not the situation we wanted to be in, but when you hit adversity, what you have to think about is how you create opportunity. This created opportunity for a lot of young guys to get acclimated to the big leagues. We took some lumps early on, but it’s been really impressive to see a few of those guys fight through it.”

Could Bieber be right behind Civale?
Bieber has been on a slower path to recovery than Civale, but as the Indians’ ace said on Tuesday, the plan is to get him back in big league game action before the 2021 regular season comes to a close. And Chernoff is on board with that plan.

“I mean, I think it’s a dual goal,” Chernoff said. “No. 1 is just getting him back and healthy and making sure he’s in a really good spot. We’re looking out for him in both the short and long term to make sure he’s getting back to the type of pitcher he can be.

“At the same time, I mean, despite where we are in the standings, we’re looking to win as many games as we can and continue to chip away. So obviously, any time we can get him back potentially in September is great for us. I think it probably goes a long way for him from a mindset standpoint, also, just to see that he can get back and into games. No. 1 goal is make sure we take this at the right pace and get him back to the pitcher he can be.”