Bauer to pitch Friday; Indians seeking return for postseason
The Indians want Trevor Bauer in their postseason rotation. The next step will come Friday against the Red Sox in his first appearance since breaking his right leg last month.
Indians manager Terry Francona said Bauer will pitch a “couple of innings” and then throw in the bullpen to increase his pitch count.
Francona wants Bauer to make two additional starts during the regular season. The right-hander is expected to start Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox and will likely pitch again the last weekend of the season in Kansas City.
The Indians hope Bauer can build up his pitch count by the time the Division Series begins Oct. 5. Using him as a reliever is another option.
Bauer has been sidelined since he was struck on the lower leg by a line drive off the bat of Chicago’s Jose Abreu on Aug. 11.
Bauer is 12-6 with a 2.22 ERA in 25 starts and was named to his first All-star team.
Yankees: Closer Aroldis Chapman was activated from the disabled list. He has been out since Aug. 21 with left knee tendinitis.
Rockies: Shortstop Trevor Story is receiving treatment for right elbow inflammation in Arizona, and the Rockies remain encouraged that he will return soon.
Manager Bud Black said Story was feeling better Wednesday. The All-star may participate in some baseball activities at the team’s spring training facility in Phoenix on Thursday.
He is listed as day-to-day, and no timetable has been set for his return.
Mets: Right-hander Zack Wheeler was shut down for the rest of the season as a precaution, ending a career-best year in which he logged nearly 100 more innings than in 2017.
Wheeler missed two full seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2015. He returned last season and was 3-7 with a 5.21 ERA in 17 starts. After beginning this season in Triple-a following a difficult spring training, Wheeler was called up in April and went 12-7 with a 3.31 ERA in 29 starts while throwing 182⅓ innings.
White Sox: Slugger Jose Abreu has been released from a Cleveland hospital after undergoing treatment for an infection in his right thigh.
Abreu was admitted to the hospital Tuesday. White Sox manager Rick Renteria said Abreu is resting at the team’s hotel.
Also, White Sox pitcher Michael Kopech had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow Tuesday and will miss the 2019 season.
Kopech, 22, was 1-1 with a 5.02 ERA in four starts this season. He was placed on the 60day disabled list with a torn elbow ligament Sept 8.
Rangers: Hard-throwing reliever Matt Bush has had surgery to repair a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament that will keep him out the first half of the 2019 season.
Assistant general manager Mike Daly says Bush did not have Tommy John surgery. Instead, he had a procedure to repair and reinforce the ligament in his right elbow. Bush hasn’t pitched since June 13. He had a 4.70 ERA in 23 innings over 21 appearances.