Cleveland Indians: Lonnie Chisenhall reportedly set to return Thursday

Cleveland Indians outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall is reportedly set to be activated Thursday after opening the season on the disabled list.

Cleveland Indians fans saw Lonnie Chisenhall during Tuesday’s ring ceremony, but he has yet to play a game with the club in 2017. That is reportedly set to change soon.

So given Chisenhall makes it through tonight’s game with Akron, he is set to come back. It will be nice to have him back and healthy, although it does mean a player will be sent down to Triple-A.

That player looks to be Abraham Almonte as of right now, although Tyler Naquin could also use some work in the minors to help with his slow start. Terry Francona may want Naquin to work through his struggles with the big league club, while Almonte can be sent down and be ready to come up at any moment.

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Being sent down to the minors this early in the season does not mean a player will stay there all season, especially in Almonte’s case. The Indians will likely compare his play to that of Naquin and Austin Jackson, and determine the best two to ultimately keep in the latter half of the season.

It is a nice problem to have and speaks to the depth built by this front office.

And although it is no fun to see a player who is not playing poorly be sent down to the minors, it will be nice to have Chisenhall back and appearing in the lineup on a regular basis.

He is coming off a 2016 season in which he slashed .286/.328/.439 in 126 games. His defense in right field was also solid enough to warrant regular playing time after he fell out of favor as a third baseman.

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He is a perfect example of a dynamic player who was able to change positions and still be an asset to the team, with his performance at the plate making it easy to put him in the lineup often.