Hanley makes the team as Indians set roster

CLEVELAND -- The Indians’ Opening Day roster is finally set.

The club needed all 44 days of Spring Training to piece its 25-man roster together, but it was officially announced Wednesday afternoon after Hanley Ramirez was informed he’d be making the squad.

Although it may not be what the team predicted it to be at the start of camp, due to injuries to both shortstop Francisco Lindor and second baseman Jason Kipnis, the Indians were able to at least dodge one big bullet when it was announced on Wednesday that Jose Ramirez should be cleared to play on Thursday in Minnesota, after being carted off the field in Sunday’s game with a left knee contusion. The rest of the roster consists of a lot of new faces, but manager Terry Francona is enjoying the challenge of piecing together his new lineup.

“I mean you get challenged,” Francona said. “And sometimes you don’t know where the challenges lie. Will it be weather? Every team is going to have to battle that. Injuries? We’ve already had a couple. You don’t know where the rest of them lie. But I admit, I do enjoy going through with these guys like it’s not always going to be perfect. We’ll have ups and downs, but I feel like if we’re going in the right direction together, we’ll figure it out.”

Here’s a look at how the Opening Day roster shakes out:

Catcher (2): Roberto Pérez, Kevin Plawecki
What changed? Nothing new here. What seemed like a position battle entering camp quickly became Perez’s job to lose. The backstop went to the Dominican League over the winter to work on his swing by getting consistent at-bats, and it seems to have paid off. Indians manager Terry Francona has also mentioned the importance of a catcher’s defense and ability to run a game, and he believes Perez is prepared to take his first step into the starting role.

First base (1): Carlos Santana
What changed? The acquisition of Hanley Ramirez moved Santana from splitting first base/DH duties with Jake Bauers to being the sole first baseman. Santana can spell Ramirez from time-to-time at DH, and Bauers will fill in at first.

Second base (2): Brad Miller
What changed? Kipnis suffered a mild right calf strain on March 20, so he will open the season on the injured list. The Indians moved quickly in exploring some outside options to give themselves more depth in the infield, and were able to bring in Miller on Sunday. He’s expected to replace Kipnis until he’s cleared to return. Miller’s hoping to earn a spot on the Tribe’s roster even after Kipnis is back in the lineup.

Third base (1): José Ramirez (reliever)
What changed? Nothing … but it was close. Ramirez gave the Indians quite the scare when he was carted off the field after fouling a ball off the inside of his knee in Sunday’s game against the White Sox. The X-rays only showed a left knee contusion, so after hanging back in Goodyear, Ariz., to receive treatment while the team traveled to Texas for the final two exhibition games of the spring, Ramirez was cleared to play Opening Day.

Shortstop (1): Eric Stamets
What changed? It was decided that Lindor would open the season on the injured list, in hopes that he would be able to return on April 4. But now, after suffering an acute ankle sprain on Tuesday, he’ll likely be out even longer. While he continues to rehab, Stamets will get the start at shortstop. Thursday will be his Major League debut.

Outfield (5): Jake Bauers, Leonys Martin, Tyler Naquin, Greg Allen, Jordan Luplow
What changed? The Opening Day outfield is set with Bauers in left, Martin in center and Naquin in right. The Indians decided to carry five outfielders, keeping both Allen and Luplow on the roster. Francona has said that he prefers to not have Bauers and Naquin strictly be platoon guys. Allen and Luplow are expected to mix in, especially against left-handed pitching.

Designated hitter (1): Hanley Ramirez
What changed? Ramirez was the final decision the Indians needed to make for their 25-man roster. Because he’s been out of the Majors since he was released by the Red Sox last May, Francona said the team had a tough time getting a read on his swing. However, he was able to show enough for the club to take a chance and pencil him in as the DH to open the year.

Utility (1): Max Moroff
What changed? No changes here. Moroff could’ve stepped up to fill in at second for Kipnis, but the team would’ve been left with no infielders on the bench. Now that Miller is on the team, Moroff will still serve as the backup at second, short and third.

Starting pitcher (5): Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber
What changed? No changes here. The one part of Cleveland’s roster that was a guarantee coming in to camp was its starting rotation. With the way all five starters looked this spring, the rotation has the potential to be the most dominant it’s ever been.

Relief pitcher (7): Brad Hand, Adam Cimber, Oliver Pérez, Dan Otero, Tyler Olson, Neil Ramírez, Jon Edwards
What changed? The Indians decided to go with a seven-man bullpen after optioning Nick Wittgren to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday. Hand is set to close this season, with Perez and Cimber expected to share the set-up duties. Edwards will be one to watch after having a red-hot spring of 11 scoreless appearances (9 2/3 innings).

Here’s the full rundown of the Indians’ Opening Day 25-man roster:

CATCHERS
Roberto Perez
Kevin Plawecki

INFIELDERS
Carlos Santana
Eric Stamets
Brad Miller
Jose Ramirez

OUTFIELDERS
Jake Bauers
Leonys Martin
Tyler Naquin
Greg Allen
Jordan Luplow

DESIGNATED HITTER
Hanley Ramirez

UTILITY
Max Moroff

STARTING PITCHERS
Corey Kluber
Trevor Bauer
Carlos Carrasco
Mike Clevinger
Shane Bieber

RELIEF PITCHERS
Brad Hand
Adam Cimber
Oliver Perez
Dan Otero
Tyler Olson
Neil Ramirez
Jon Edwards