Plesac fractures thumb in shirt mishap
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First, the Indians lost slugger Franmil Reyes, and now they’ll be without starter Zach Plesac.
Manager Terry Francona said on Tuesday that Plesac is heading to the injured list with a non-displaced fracture in his right thumb. After his start on Sunday, he injured the thumb while taking off his undershirt and getting it caught on the chair at his locker. When the swelling didn’t subside by Monday, he was sent for an X-ray.
“He was, I think, probably rather aggressively ripping off his shirt,” Francona said. “He called [athletic trainer] James Quinlan, and James called me. It was pretty swollen yesterday. … As you can imagine, our wheels started to turn.”
Plesac met with hand specialist Dr. Thomas Graham in Dayton, Ohio, on Wednesday, and the team learned soon after that Plesac’s injury will not require surgery. Francona said Cleveland could expect Plesac to resume a throwing progression in about three weeks. The timetable that follows, Francona added, depends on how the injury heals.
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“He’s going to be reassessed every seven to 10 days,” Francona said. “After that, there are so many variables. …
“Other than it being broken, it was [a] pretty upbeat visit to the doctor.”
The injury leaves the Indians in a bit of a jam with their starting pitching. The team recalled Triston McKenzie – whom they optioned to Triple-A on Saturday -- to start Wednesday’s game in Detroit, but the Indians will still need to fill Plesac’s turn in the rotation Friday, not to mention that Cleveland still needs to plan for a doubleheader against the White Sox at home on Monday.
Cleveland could use Jean Carlos Mejía on Friday since he worked an inning on Monday, and the team has another starting option in Cal Quantrill (who isn’t stretched out to go deep as a starter) in the bullpen.
In Columbus, the Indians obviously have McKenzie and Logan Allen, who was optioned on April 30. Other candidates could include Scott Moss, who owns a 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in three starts with Columbus this season, or Eli Morgan, who has pitched to a 3.95 ERA with a 1.54 WHIP in three starts.