Notes: CF competition, prospects impressing

Oscar Mercado started in center field in the Tribe's 9-4 loss to the Rockies at Salt River Fields on Friday. But the question of who will get the bulk of the starts there in the regular season remains a vexing one.

Even if it were just Mercado and Bradley Zimmer vying for time in center this spring, it would be complicated enough. Mercado struggled at the plate in 2020 (.348 OPS in 93 plate appearances), while an injury and underperformance have limited Zimmer to just 86 games combined in the Majors and Minors over the last three seasons.

Cleveland has only created more questions with the mid-spring experiment of putting Amed Rosario in center.

Rosario recovered from his three-error nightmare Tuesday by making two clean plays on routine fly balls on Thursday. Still, this is all foreign to the shortstop who changed organizations only to lose his natural position to Andrés Giménez for the second straight year (both came over from the Mets in the Francisco Lindor trade).

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity the team is giving me to learn the position,” Rosario said. “I know it’s just a matter of time to get better there and get more reps.”

If the 25-year-old can’t make it work in center field, it’s hard to say where or when his playing time would come in this lineup. And it’s also hard to say if Mercado and Zimmer can hit well enough to stick around.

A solution that could emerge before the end of the season is Daniel Johnson, the Tribe’s No. 21 prospect. At times this spring, including a three-hit game Thursday, Johnson has looked like the best player on the field. But “Jet,” as Johnson is known, was jettisoned to Triple-A Columbus on Friday.

“He was very disappointed, and we knew that was going to be the case,” manager Terry Francona said. “With the way Spring Training is right now and has been, and the amount of people we have competing for spots, we knew we were going to have to make some tough decisions, and this was one of them.”

Johnson, who made a brief debut with Cleveland last season, didn’t see time in center field this spring, but he will play at all three outfield spots in the Minors.

The decisions won’t get any easier in center -- a position that, given all the variables and the few spring games remaining, is likely to be unsettled even when the Tribe breaks camp.

Bo Naylor reassigned
Catcher Bo Naylor, the Tribe’s No. 4 prospect, was reassigned to Minor League camp. Cleveland now has 40 players remaining in big league camp.

Naylor, who was drafted 29th overall in 2018 and hasn’t played above Rookie ball, is much further away from the bigs than Johnson. But Josh Naylor’s younger brother impressed the big league coaching staff.

“When you get a kid that young, especially as a catcher, you worry if you can get him in enough games,” Francona said. “But he handled himself so well catching that none of our guys minded throwing to him, which is really a big compliment to a young kid. And we all think he's really going to swing the bat.”

Bracket banter
Francona took umbrage with bench coach DeMarlo Hale waiting until after the play-in games to fill out his NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket.

“I’m calling a foul,” Francona said.

“The NCAA pool is 64 teams, right? Not 68,” Hale responded. “That’s what I was trying to explain to him.”

Tribe tidbits
• Aaron Civale felt his outing Friday against the Rockies was better than his line -- four runs (three earned) on four hits and one walk in four innings -- indicates.

“The box score wasn’t good,” he said, “but the stuff was.”

Civale got up to 76 pitches.

• Bryan Shaw worked out of a fifth-inning jam Friday with two runners in scoring position and no outs against his old Rockies teammates. Cleveland has been pleased with what it has seen from Shaw, who is in camp on a non-roster deal and fighting for a bullpen job.

“My goal was to go out there and pitch, and even if I was with the Yankees with Aroldis Chapman, go take that spot from somebody,” he said. “It keeps you honest. You do what you’ve got to do and pitch instead of going through the motions of getting ready for a season.”

• In search of a bounceback offensive season, Roberto Pérez went deep for the second time this spring on Friday.

“As long as Berto stays with the right-field approach,” said Francona, “he becomes more dangerous.”

• Yu Chang, who was scratched with neck soreness on Thursday, is expected back in the lineup Saturday.

• With at-bats and innings in short supply, the Tribe will stage a “B” game against the Mariners on Saturday. Spring standout Logan Allen will pitch in that game.

• Rule 5 Draft pickup Trevor Stephan, who is vying for a spot in the bullpen, had his fifth scoreless appearance (among six appearances overall) Thursday. “He has certainly impressed not just with his stuff but with his poise,” Francona said.