Notes: Cesar back to leadoff; Hentges' role 

CLEVELAND -- The Indians had stuck with the idea of keeping Jordan Luplow, Amed Rosario or Ben Gamel (in the time he was at the big league level) in the leadoff spot since the end of Spring Training. Now, the club is switching it up.

When a lefty is on the mound, the idea that the Indians would want Luplow to get as many plate appearances as possible makes sense. However, none of the players they’ve put at the top of the order this year are “traditional” leadoff guys. Because of that, Cleveland decided to put César Hernández, who hit first for the club at times last season, back in the leadoff spot. He hit at the top of the order for the 5-3, 10-inning walk-off win over Minnesota at Progressive Field on Monday in the series opener, going 0-for-4 with a walk and two runs scored, the second of which came as an automatic runner in the extra frame. He crossed home on Luplow's game-winning homer.

“Whoever has been leading off, whether it’s been Luplow or Amed, they’re both kind of ultra-aggressive hitters,” Indians manager Terry Francona said, when asked to explain his decision. “And what I think is happening is a lot of times Cesar is going up there and he’s finding himself in a hole, because our leadoff hitter maybe swung at the first pitch. And you don’t want to tell guys to not hit like they hit, because I don’t think they’ll ever succeed that way. So I just feel like maybe flipping that should help both of them.”

What to do with Hentges?
Sam Hentges dazzled in his second Major League appearance on Sunday, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless frames against the Yankees with one strikeout, no walks and just two hits allowed. That type of showing is difficult to ignore for a club that prioritizes pitching. But if he’s kept in the bullpen, would that hinder his chances for being a starter in 2021? These are the conversations that the Indians are now needing to have.

“With Sam, we couldn’t have been more excited by the way he handled things yesterday,” Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “Hopefully that was a step forward for him. We’re actively talking about different ways where we can employ and utilize our pitching staff to give us the best chance to win. Sam’s a big part of that conversation, not only now, but as we think about the balance of the season.”

On the outside, it looks simple: Hentges is pitching well, so he needs to stay to help the big league club. Although he could be of assistance as a reliever, the Indians know that starting-pitching depth is one of the biggest keys to success. And if Hentges has already started to prove that he can handle pitching in the Majors, the team may want to have him as an option (out of Triple-A) if a starter were to be injured.

“If you don’t have a starter or somebody stretched out that you think can do it, that can be a little difficult,” Francona said. “And then the other thing is his development. If you think he can be a starter, by putting him in the bullpen, you’re eliminating a little bit like they don’t have to use all their pitches, especially guys that throw hard. They can almost be a two-pitch pitcher. … I mean, to be a starter, a guy’s got to use all his pitches. Those are things we have to think about.”

Vaccinations
Clubs were informed just before Opening Day that MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to relax certain health and safety protocols contained in the 2021 Operations Manual for fully vaccinated Tier 1 Individuals and for clubs where 85% of their Tier 1 Individuals are fully vaccinated. The Indians have already started their vaccination process and are hoping to reach that 85% threshold soon. In order to do so, the club is continuing to present all appropriate information to its players to give them the best resources to help them make their decisions.

“We’ve spoken to a number of players across the organization to try to help continue to educate them and help them understand,” Antonetti said. “But in the end, people are free to make their own choices and their own decisions.”

Wittgren family welcomes baby boy No. 2
Ashley Wittgren was not-so-secretly hoping that she’d have to make a call to the team during a game to have her husband, Nick, come running out of the bullpen to race over to the hospital. Although the dramatics weren’t quite at that level, she still started to go into labor at Progressive Field during Sunday’s game against the Yankees. At 2:27 a.m. ET, the couple welcomed their second baby boy, Camden.

Camden weighed seven pounds, five ounces, and arrived two-and-a-half weeks early. Nick and Ashley are now looking forward to introducing Camden to his 2-year-old brother, Jackson.