Cleveland Indians: Carlos Carrasco latest to deal with potential setback

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco had a rough outing on Monday, leading the team to look into a potential elbow injury.

Carlos Carrasco had a rough day on Monday when the Cleveland Indians took on the Chicago White Sox. He allowed eight runs on eight hits in just 1.2 innings of work, with three of the hits being home runs.

But it is just March, so the end result was not a major cause for concern. It was the news from after the start that was the problem.

As seen in the above tweet by Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com, Carrasco may have been dealing with a slight injury during the start.

Hoynes wrote an article on the situation, with Terry Francona sharing his take on the potential problem:

"“Everything is OK,” said Francona, after the Indians’ 6-5 Cactus League loss to the Giants. “He’s got a little swelling in there, but nothing structurally is (wrong) or anything like that.”"

The article goes on to explain how Carrasco’s wife is due to give birth soon, so giving Carrasco some time off doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything wrong.

Yet it is hard for fans to blindly believe the team’s word when it comes to injuries, after seeing the mysterious timetable associated with Michael Brantley, along with the current situation surrounding Jason Kipnis. It is not to suggest some wild conspiracy theory, but rather Carrasco’s situation is one for fans to keep an eye on.

Fans also must remember that Carrasco was unable to pitch for several months, so his arm is still adjusting to pitching full-time once again.

Even if Carrasco needs some extra time to get ready, it may not be an issue, according to a tweet from Jordan Bastian of Indians.com.

That gives Carrasco a full month to let his arm re-adjust and get the swelling down before he has to pitch in a competitive game. A week off in March shouldn’t affect his ability to start by April 15.

Next: 3 players who can start the season at second base

It is unfortunate that some fans have become wary of these injury timetables, but this particular situation involving Carrasco doesn’t seem to be one that will become a major problem.