Tribe encouraged by Zimmer progress

The Indians outfield situation might not be as bleak as it seemed just two weeks ago. Center fielder Bradley Zimmer, recovering from right shoulder surgery last July to repair a torn labrum, has been in Goodyear, Ariz., rehabbing and working on his swing ahead of the Feb. 16 reporting date for positional players.

Manager Terry Francona sounded more than cautiously optimistic on Feb. 15 when discussing the Indians former No. 1 prospect with reporters covering spring training in Goodyear. The original prognostication had Zimmer missing from eight to 12 months. The 6-foot-5 Californian who bats lefthanded and throws righthanded is aiming for the shorter end of the margin. “Guys that are coming back from injury, you hate to put timetables on them because it’s not fair to them,” Francona said. “I would be comfortable saying he is kind of knocking it out of the park. He’s really gotten after it. “He’s doing really well. He’s coming quick. He has a ways to go, but he’s done a terrific job.” The most recent medical report from the Indians last month said Zimmer is throwing the ball “75 feet with no issues.” Obviously, he’ll have to be able to throw it much further than that to play center field. Zimmer has progressed from hitting off a tee to taking swings in the batting cage in Goodyear. “Everybody has their own take on it,” Zimmer said in the Indians clubhouse prior to Tribe Fest last month. “Six to eight months, maybe 12. But based on how I’m feeling now, I’ll be ready for spring training. Whether they turn me loose by then — I feel like I’m in a really good place right now.” The Indians are dealing with two separate issues regarding Zimmer. His health comes first because he’s no help to them if he pushes too hard and re-injures his shoulder trying to throw the ball too far or swing the bat too hard. Zimmer was hitting .226 with the Indians when he was sent down to Columbus last June. He was injured less than a week later taking a practice swing using only his right hand and never returned to the Indians in 2018. No one knows whether the injury originated with the swing or whether he hurt it going all out to make a catch and the swing exacerbated the problem. It got worse trying to throw the ball. Surgery was performed five weeks after the original injury. As he progresses from his injury, he will have to fix the hole in his swing before he can be the everyday center fielder with the Indians.