Notes: Francona, León not on Pittsburgh trip

The Indians have often referred to this season as the year of adjustments, and after a week of difficult conversations and decisions, they’ll have to continue to adapt to some challenges through the three-game series in Pittsburgh.

Tribe manager Terry Francona did not make the trip with the team, as general manager Mike Chernoff said that the skipper is scheduled to undergo a procedure in the coming days. And while they’ll go through another stint without Francona, the Indians will also be without backup catcher Sandy León, who had to leave the club due to a family emergency.

León will be placed on the family medical emergency list, which requires him to miss a minimum of three games. The Indians recalled outfielder Greg Allen to take his place on the 28-man roster.

“It's a private matter and a family-related issue,” Chernoff said, “so we're not going to disclose what it is, but we know he'll be out for at least three days. We're all thinking about him as he's going through this and then we'll update the group on Friday as to whether or not we'll reinstate him or keep him on that list.”

Cleveland knew that Francona’s presence may not be permanent after he returned last Tuesday before the Tribe’s home series against the Cubs. He had been away from the squad for the previous nine days due to a gastrointestinal condition, a problem that’s been bothering him for 11 months. The skipper said last week that he’s already had five or six surgeries in the past year and will now be adding another to the list.

“I'll leave it to Tito when he comes back if he's interested in disclosing what [the procedure] is,” Chernoff said. “Otherwise, we'll leave it as a private matter and he can make that decision on whether he discloses it or not.”

The Tribe is hopeful that Francona will be back on Friday to start the six-game homestand against the Tigers and Twins. In the meantime, catching and first-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. will assume the managerial duties once again, third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh will move to the bench and be replaced by Tony Mansolino on third, while Kyle Hudson will coach first.

“This has certainly not been a normal season,” Chernoff said, “and there’s been a lot of disruption in a lot of different areas. … As these situations add up and you have a number of them compiling, it definitely creates a little bit of a different dynamic. What has been amazing to see is guys step up into these situations and really pitch in and do anything it takes.”

Preparation for the Trade Deadline
Without a Minor League season, it’s more difficult for teams to be able to get information on some of the younger talent in an organization’s 60-man player pool. Because of that, Chernoff explained that Major League Baseball provided a data-sharing agreement with clubs so that teams can feel like they have some understanding of where players who aren’t on the big league team stand.

• Mercado optioned to Indians' alternate training site

“A number of teams -- in fact, the large majority of teams -- have opted into that,” Chernoff said. “That's a way to share both data and video on guys at the alternate site. So as we approach the Trade Deadline, you're kind of flying blind if you're making a trade for somebody who's at one of those alternate sites. This allows for a little bit more visibility to how guys are doing and allows our scouts, despite not being in the park, to lock into the data and the video to assess where guys are.”

DeShields supports Tatís
Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. raised a lot of arguments on social media on Tuesday following his first career grand slam on a 3-0 pitch Monday night when San Diego was up by seven runs. Indians outfielder Delino DeShields took to Twitter to post his own similar experiences, supporting Tatis’ right to swing freely in that situation.

“These unwritten rules in baseball, they are what they are,” DeShields said. “The game is changing. Players have to adjust. It’s getting younger. A lot of the older guys are leaving the game. But you’ll see a lot of older guys supporting that, too.

• DeShields' tribute to the Negro Leagues

“It’s one of those things for me, you have to get over it. You put the guys on base. You give up a grand slam. It is what it is. Anything can happen late in the game. You see all these late-inning comebacks now. We put up 10 runs against the Reds in one inning. You never know what happens. Nothing’s really comfortable. Stack up the runs and play the game.”