Clevinger making steady progress toward return

MIAMI -- Right-hander Mike Clevinger, on the injured list with an upper back strain, continued his progression by throwing from 60 feet on Tuesday at Marlins Park.

Clevinger, who shagged fly balls in the outfield during batting practice in Houston this past weekend, did the same before the Tribe's 7-4 win over the Marlins.

"It’s still Day One," said Clevinger, who played catch with James Quinlan, the Indians' head athletic trainer. "Once we get to the 90-feet marker, that’s when we can really tell. I just remember with Tommy John [surgery], like, this is way different, obviously. I feel way better. But when I was even hurting with that elbow during that rehab process before I got surgery, trying to come back without it, remember throwing up to 60 feet and it was a little painful, but I could still get on some balls.

"But once I got to 90 is when it was like, ‘I can’t really get on this ball.’ So that’s going to be the real test is when we get back there. But right now, it’s way, way ahead of schedule, even in my mind."

Indians manager Terry Francona noted the Indians will watch how Clevinger, who went on the 60-day IL on April 8, responds on Wednesday as he continues to build up. The initial timetable called for 6-8 weeks before he could think about throwing a baseball.

Now comes the balance of not pushing the 28-year-old, knowing he has to be out for a certain length of time.

"I think we feel it’s going to take the entire time to get him right or we would not have put him on the 60-day," said Francona, who mentioned that the club asked Clevinger to throw at 50-60 percent.. "He’s way ahead of what some doctors felt. But those were some of the guys that were saying he wasn’t going to pitch until September. We’re pretty safe in what we did. Just because a guy’s throwing a baseball, that’s a long way from pitching and being built up to be a starter."

Pitchers taking hacks

With the Indians on the road for the first time this season during Interleague Play, the club didn't have the benefit of the designated hitter. Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer hit ninth in Tuesday's opener.

According to Francona, the pitchers had been following a progression over the past week, which included hitting off a tee.

Corey Kluber, Wednesday's starter, took swings with the first group during batting practice. He was using a Marucci bat with his name on it.

"In all honesty, if we need them to get a hit to win a game, we’re probably not in a very good position," Francona said. "I personally don’t think this is fair. We’re asking guys to do stuff that they haven’t been doing. Every once in a while somebody will surprise you and get a hit, and that just shows you how good of an athlete they actually are to do that. But for the most part, I hope they don’t get hurt, and if they need to get a bunt down, they can get it down.

"But if you watch the Marlins, their pitchers are hitting today. It’s like risk-reward. We have the guys that are going to pitch, hit a little in the cage before we come here. Because it’s just not worth what could potentially go wrong."

Otero's homecoming

Reliever Dan Otero expected a large contingent of family and friends for the two-game set in South Florida, including his 98-year-old grandmother, Dolores, who last saw him play in person either in 2014 or '15.

Otero, 34, grew up in Miami and attended nearby Ransom Everglades High School.

"I grew up not far from here," Otero said. "I used to come to this site when I was little watching the Hurricanes because this used to be the Orange Bowl. My dad actually dropped me off today and was like, 'We used to park at that house for $10, walk over to the Orange Bowl.' I remember those games against Florida State. I was at the Washington game [in 1994] when Napoleon Kaufman was with the Huskies and the Canes had the [58]-game home winning streak and we lost it. We were sitting near Huskies fans and they kept coughing, and I didn't like it."