Kluber gets OK to throw 20 fastballs
CLEVELAND — The next major milestone in Corey Kluber’s rehab has arrived.
Kluber has been cleared by the Indians’ medical staff to throw his first bullpen session since fracturing his right ulna bone May 1 when he was hit by a comebacker in Miami.
According to manager Terry Francona, Kluber is slated to throw 20 pitches, all fastballs. The team also expects to take things slowly with Kluber as he ramps back up to being able to appear in a rehab assignment.
“I don’t know if it’s a hurdle, challenge, but it’s a big step (and a) good step,” Francona said Tuesday. “Now, he won’t be going like every other day just because of what he’s been through.”
The Indians are trying to be smart with Kluber and have tried to be as cautious as possible throughout his rehab, especially considering his injury didn’t require surgery even though it could have.
“This kid, if you saw his workouts, he amazes me,” Francona said. “I mean, how he can push himself when people aren’t around, it amazes me. The drive he has is incredible, but he’s a smart kid. He knows that we’re kind of already going pretty quickly, so he’ll be smart about it.”
Heart and Hustle
Francisco Lindor was named as one of the 30 preliminary winners — one from each club — of the 2019 Heart and Hustle Award.
The Heart and Hustle Award honors those who demonstrate a passion for the game and best embody the values, spirit
and traditions of baseball. The award is voted upon by former players.
“I think it’s a huge compliment to Frankie,” Francona said. “It shows the respect he has among his teammates and throughout the league and the way he plays the game, showing up every day. At a young age, being mature about the game.”
Slugger down
The Indians recalled starting pitcher Zach Plesac to start against the Detroit Tigers and optioned Bobby Bradley to the Clippers.
Bradley has mostly struggled in his 15-game debut at the major-league level, hitting .178 with a .600 OPS. Aside from one 457-foot moonshot, he had difficulty adjusting to major-league pitching, enough so that the Indians felt it made more sense to have him work on his swing with the Clippers.
“Obviously, we had to make a move (Monday night) to get Plesac on and when we called Bobby up, we kind of told him, like we did with some of the younger guys, we wanted him to understand how we go about things just being in the major leagues and things like that,” Francona said.