Stress fracture idles Bauer 4-6 weeks

CLEVELAND — Trevor Bauer won’t let a stress fracture in his right leg get in the way of throwing a baseball.

The Indians right-hander, one of the leading candidates for the AL Cy Young Award, will be out four to six weeks, but he’s still keeping his arm in shape.

Wearing a walking boot, Bauer played catch from his knees with an athletic trainer Friday before the Indians beat the Orioles 2-1. Carlos Carrasco won his 15th game with seven scoreless innings, and Jose Ramirez hit his 37th home run.

“It’s something I can do every day, something I plan on doing every day, because the overall stress is way less relative to what I’ve been experiencing the whole season,” Bauer said.

Bauer acknowledged he didn’t take the news very well when he learned he would be out for an extended period of time. “I was furious,” he said. Bauer, hit by a liner from the White Sox’s Jose Abreu, is 12-6 with a 2.22 ERA in 25 starts. He’s third in the AL in ERA, second in innings pitched with 166 and fourth in strikeouts with 214.

Bauer could return in middle to late September. Manager Terry Francona knows the pitcher’s arm will be ready.

“I think in about 10 days he can throw standing, and then in another 10 days it’s probably close to mound work,” Francona said. “My guess is his arm is going to feel pretty good.”

Bauer believes some critics haven’t fully recognized the kind of season he is having.

“I’m sure there are plenty of people that are happy about the fact that they get to ignore that I’m one of the best pitchers in the league for another year,” he said. “They don’t have to face that reality. But they’ll have to deal with it at some point.”