The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Zimmer fighting for roster spot
Former top prospect is vying to make the big-league club
Center fielder Zimmer, like a piano in need of tuning, was optioned to Columbus on June 5, 2018to get his swing fixed.
Indians center fielder Bradley Zimmer, like a piano badly in need of tuning, was optioned to Columbus on June 5, 2018 to get his swing fixed.
The idea was the lanky 6-foot-5 former top prospect — emphasis on the word former — would be with the Triple-A Clippers a couple weeks, maybe a month, then be back with the Indians and hitting like he did the first half of 2017 when he batted .285, homered five times and drove in 25 runs in 49 games.
He hit .196 the second half of 2017 and struck out 56 times in 148 at-bats.
It was a foreshadowing of what was to come.
Those three good months of Zimmer’s career are long past, and now he is fighting for a roster spot while the Indians go through spring training 2.0.
The good news, at least from Zimmer’s perspective, is the outfield is unsettled after Oscar Mercado, Franmil Reyes and Tyler Naquin.
Zimmer had a tight hamstring when spring training resumed July 3 at Progressive Field.
That’s nothing compared to what he went through in 2018 and 2019.
Zimmer crashed into the outfield wall at Yankee Stadium on May 5, 2018, resulting in rib and chest injuries and a trip to the disabled list. He suffered a shoulder injury, simply swinging the bat during a pregame batting drill, just six days after being sent to Columbus.
Rest was ordered, but the shoulder did not improve. He had season-ending surgery on July 20, 2018 to repair a torn labrum. He has struggled to stay healthy since the injury.
“I’m as comfortable as can be,” said Zimmer. “I worked really hard in the offseason and during quarantine to be ready to go here. I feel really good. Been seeing it live the last couple of days. Swinging the bat well. So I’m in a good spot.
“It’s tough. I wish injuries upon nobody. It’s a brutal time to miss being on the field and having to watch.” Bradley Zimmer
“It’s tough. I wish injuries upon nobody. It’s a brutal time to miss being on the field and having to watch. I think it gives you more encouragement once you are healthy, and motivation to be back and where I can be.”
Jordan Luplow feasts on left-handed pitching and Delino DeShields is excellent defensively in the outfield. Domingo Santana was signed to share designated hitter duties if he doesn’t contribute in the outfield.
That leaves Zimmer, Greg Allen, Daniel Johnson and Jake Bauers possibly competing for one spot on the 30-man roster to start the season. The survivor could be trimmed when the roster is set to 28 after two weeks or when it is cut to 26 at midseason.
“Bradley Zimmer is a guy we absolutely love,” manager Terry Francona said July 10 at Progressive Field before an intrasquad game. “We love his skill set. The kid basically hasn’t played much in two years.
“Are you setting him up to fail if he swings the bat well for a week here, or does it make our team better? Those are the kinds of questions we’re going to have to wrestle with as we make our decisions. It won’t be easy.”
The surgery two years ago shelved Zimmer for the rest of 2018 and most of 2019. He played four games with Akron and six with Columbus last year.
Zimmer went hitless in 13 at-bats, striking out seven times, in nine games with the Indians last September. That tendency to strike out is what got him sent to Columbus in the first place. He struck out 44 times in 106 at-bats with the Indians in 2018.