Cleveland Indians: No roster moves to be made before home opener

The Cleveland Indians will hold off on making any roster moves today before the home opener, delaying Lonnie Chisenhall’s return.

There were recent rumblings that Lonnie Chisenhall may be activated before the Cleveland Indians’ home opener today, but that has been put on hold.

That means the Indians will stick with the Opening Day 25-man roster for now, which is not a bad thing. Abraham Almonte is expected to be sent down when Chisenhall does indeed return, but he has had a solid start to the year, so there is no rush.

Fans are now hoping that Chisenhall’s return wasn’t held off because of any setback. Yet that doesn’t appear to be the case, as he has been playing with the Columbus Clippers and doing just fine.

This could even mean he comes back at some point during this series, or over the weekend, so there is no need to panic.

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Chisenhall’s return is just the first that will shakeup the roster, as Jason Kipnis’ eventual return means an infielder loses a job, for now. That infielder appears to be Yandy Diaz, although he can prove he deserves a permanent spot if he continues to play well. Some were worried about his defense, but he has proved that he is more than capable of handling himself at third base.

Some fans may not want to see Almonte or Diaz be sent down, but it is important to remember that the roster will continue to change throughout the season. The April roster rarely, if ever, is identical in September, due to injuries, trades, and players outperforming each other.

So while Diaz and Almonte may not fit on the roster at this point in time, there is no reason to believe that either won’t receive another chance later in the season.

Next: What if Yandy plays too well to sit

And as long as there aren’t any major setbacks with Chisenhall or Kipnis, these early-season stints on the disabled list will be forgotten about at the end of the year.