Cleveland Indians: Bradley Zimmer must earn a roster spot in 2017

Bradley Zimmer won’t open the season on the Cleveland Indians’ roster, but he has the chance to prove he is worthy of a spot in 2017.

The Cleveland Indians will finally begin the 2017 MLB regular season one week from today, and the Opening Day roster is beginning to become more clear.

Austin Jackson became the latest player to earn a spot on the 25-man roster when his addition was announced on Sunday. He takes a permanent, for now, spot in the outfield, serving as a platoon option in center field with Tyler Naquin.

Jackson on the roster also meant Bradley Zimmer would be sent to the minors, although he wasn’t ever expected to earn a job out of camp unless several players went down with injuries.

Zimmer still remains the next best prospect, but it will be better for him to continue to improve in the minors in an everyday role, as opposed to being a platoon player in Cleveland.

The Indians may want to save Zimmer until there is a full-time spot for him, although he can surely make one if he continues to impress. A tweet from Jordan Bastian explained just that.

That may seem like a simple message from Terry Francona, but if Lonnie Chisenhall or any of the outfielders struggle during the season, the team shouldn’t hesitate to give Zimmer a shot, given he is doing well in the minors.

The Indians are chasing a championship in 2017, so there is no time to allow a player to be in the lineup if he is in the midst of a major slump. If it is September and an outfielder is struggling, a spot will be open for Zimmer to take. The team wants the best players available in the postseason, and he can surely be one of them.

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The key for Zimmer will be to get his strikeouts down. He struck out 56 times in only 37 games with Columbus last season, along with 115 strikeouts in 93 games with Akron. For comparison, Chisenhall only struck out 70 times in 126 games last season.

Zimmer and Chisenhall are two very different players, but experience will also take precedence over potential when the younger player strikes out as much as Zimmer does.

Yet 2016 saw a rookie seize an opportunity when Tyler Naquin came up when Michael Brantley was out, earning himself a full-time job in Cleveland. That is not to say we are expecting any long-term injuries in 2017, but Zimmer is next in line if a roster spot opens up and he appears to have fixed his problems at the plate.

No reason to go out and sign a player when there is one a few hours south waiting for a chance to prove himself.

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Lonnie Chisenhall’s current injury appears to be minor, so let’s expect to see him back for Opening Day. However, if there are any lingering problems, Zimmer will be up sometime this summer. And if not, he will likely be here in September when the rosters expand. Only a matter of time.