Kipnis to undergo MRI on right wrist

CLEVELAND -- The Indians hoped that giving second baseman Jason Kipnis three full days of rest after he aggravated the tendinitis in his right wrist on Aug. 31 against the Rays would allow him to finish out the rest of the season pain-free. That didn’t prove to be the case.

In his 10th game since meeting with Dr. Thomas Graham -- a hand specialist based in New York -- on Sept. 1, Kipnis was pulled from the Indians' 7-5 victory over the Twins on Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field with right wrist discomfort. He will undergo an MRI on the team’s off-day on Monday.

In the sixth inning, Kipnis whiffed at a two-seam fastball from Fernando Romero and immediately felt pain in his wrist, which is exactly what happened to him against the Rays last month. He remained in the game and capped off the at-bat with a double, but he was pinch-hit for the following inning.

“He took that one swing and you probably saw it, he kind of grabbed it,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He waved us off when he actually hit the double, but then he got looked at after the inning and [head athletic trainer] James [Quinlan] just said, ‘Get him out.’”

Kipnis had battled the discomfort before he was sent to Dr. Graham, but after watching third baseman Jose Ramirez go down the exact way, the Indians were quick to hold their breath, hoping it wouldn’t be another hamate bone injury. But when Kipnis felt that same sting at Tropicana Field, he said he knew immediately it wasn’t as serious as Ramirez’s. Now, the Tribe will have to wait to see if the results are the same as three weeks ago.