Franmil to miss 5-7 weeks with oblique strain

CLEVELAND -- Indians slugger Franmil Reyes probably won’t be back in Cleveland’s lineup until July.

The Indians announced prior to Sunday’s series finale against the Twins that Reyes sustained an internal oblique strain while swinging in the sixth inning of Saturday’s matchup. He was removed from the game in the middle of his at-bat, underwent testing and imaging on Sunday morning and was told that he should return to game action in five to seven weeks.

Infielder Owen Miller was called up on Sunday morning to take Reyes’ place on the active roster. Reyes had been one of the Indians’ most productive bats this season, including giving the team an early 2-0 lead with a first-inning homer just before he got injured.

Now, Miller will likely get the majority of the time as the team’s designated hitter until he gets adjusted to the big leagues. Once the Indians feel comfortable to move him around to different positions in the infield (or even a corner-outfield spot), the club will likely use the DH spot to keep guys like José Ramírez and Cesar Hernandez in the lineup, while attempting to give them a partial day off. But the rest of the lineup will be left to try to fill the void Reyes’ absence now leaves.

“Yeah that sucks,” Indians starter Shane Bieber said on Saturday night. “He's an awesome guy, awesome teammate, obviously a huge bat in our lineup, huge impact, and he showed that today even though he only played a little more than half the game.”