Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor out with calf injury

The Cleveland Indians are expected to be without Francisco Lindor through all of spring training, and the star shortstop could also miss the first couple weeks of the season.

The Indians announced on Friday that Lindor sustained a moderate calf strain while preparing for spring training in Orlando, Fla. He was evaluated Wednesday at the Cleveland Clinic by Dr. Mark Schickendantz.

Lindor has been given a timeline of 7 to 9 weeks to return to major league game activity. That window started on Wednesday, meaning the first day within that expected window would fall on the eve of Opening Day, when the Indians start the 2019 season in Minnesota against the Twins on March 28.

This has, of course, put his Opening Day in serious jeopardy. The Indians will likely want to ensure that once he returns, he’s completely ready and beyond a heightened risk of aggravating the original injury. In previous cases, Opening Day was not viewed as an artificial timeline. The Indians can especially operate in this way while in a weak division.

One of the issues with this Indians roster is how top-heavy it has become following the freeagent absences of key pieces like Andrew Miller, Michael Brantley, Cody Allen and others. That could especially be true with the lineup, which has already lost Brantley and Yan Gomes and will have to rely on a less-than-ideal outfield situation.