Francona recovering from heart procedure

Indians manager Terry Francona will miss the All-Star Game after undergoing a procedure at Cleveland Clinic to correct his heart rhythm. Francona is to return to the team on July 14.

Indians manager Terry Francona will be taking a break from baseball as he recovers from heart surgery.

Francona underwent a procedure called ablation at Cleveland Clinic on July 6 to correct an irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia.

Doctors concluded the arrhythmia was the cause of dizziness and other symptoms that have recurred for the 58-year-old manager throughout the first half of the 2017 season.

Indians President Chris Antonetti and acting Manager Brad Mills met with reporters on July 7 before the Indians hosted the Detroit Tigers in the opener of a three-game series at Progressive Field.

Antonetti said he visited Francona earlier in the day at the hospital.

“He’s actually feeling really good,” Antonetti said. “I think his mind is at ease knowing they were able to perform a successful procedure to get his issue corrected. Now he knows the path in front of him is just a little bit of rest and recovery and he gets back to doing what he loves.”

According to Antonetti, Francona won’t be at the ballpark for any of the games against Detroit and will not travel to Miami, Fla., to manage the American League team in the AllStar Game on July 11.

Barring any setbacks, Francona will return on July 14 when the Indians hold a workout in Oakland in advance of a three-game series against the A’s.

“It took some dialogue to get there, but in the end, (Francona) was good with the plan,” Antonetti said. “As we walked through that, it made sense for him to get a few days, get out of the hospital, recover, not go to Miami and not be on late flights and have all the obligations that go around the All-Star Game. That way, when he’s managing (on July 15), he’s in a really good spot.”

Ablation utilizes highfrequency energy to destroy damaged heart tissue determined to be the probable cause of the heart’s inability to maintain a normal, predictable beat. Because of symptoms tied to an irregular heartbeat, Francona had missed all or part of four games going into the Detroit series.

Mills, the former manager of the Houston Astros and longtime bench coach for Francona, will continue as interim manager of the Indians until Francona is cleared to return to work. Mills also will fill in for Francona as manager of the American League squad in the All-Star Game.

Francona and his coaches earned the trip to Miami by way of the Indians winning the AL pennant last season en route to the World Series.

“The staff was excited even before to represent the American League and CIeveland because of what we did last year,” Mills said. “If T (Francona) is not going to be there, the staff is ready to step up and all share in those duties. We’ll move forward and go from there.”

Mills said he spoke with Francona on the telephone about 90 minutes prior to the session with reporters.

“We talked at length about things that were going on and how much he wanted to be here,” Mills said. “Again, he voiced that he’ll take this time off, rest and hopefully be ready to go.”

Many of the Indians players weighed in on Francona’s absence and what it has meant to the team.

“It’s a little different,” relief pitcher Andrew Miller said. “Millsy is great. He’s in charge now. It’s been similar, but it’s a different personality (with Francona). There’s a way he handles a group of players that is unique, whether it’s energy or the way he communicates with us. There is a certain looseness he fosters.

“While we miss that, we’re ballplayers,” Miller added.

“We’ll find a way to get through it until he gets back. We miss him at the same time.”

Relief pitcher Cody Allen said he and his teammates all knew about Francona’s health issues.

“We’re glad he went and got it taken care of,” Allen said. “He’s changed the culture here, for sure. No matter what type of player you are, you walk out of his office believing in yourself We’ll all be thrilled to have him back in the dugout.”

Shortstop Francisco Lindor said he had a telephone conversation with Francona a few hours before the surgery.

“He told me, ‘I miss you guys but you need to start hitting with runners on base,’ ” Lindor said, smiling.

Lindor is headed to the All-Star Game as a player along with Miller, third baseman Jose Ramirez, starting pitcher Corey Kluber and outfielder Michael Brantley.

“Tito will share the spotlight with all of us,” Brantley said. “We’re going to miss him, obviously. We’re a group. We’re a unit. We’d love to have him there to manage the All-Star Game. But his health is the most important thing. We look forward to having him back.”