Cleveland Indians: Top storylines as the postseason approaches

Injuries are nothing new for this Indians squad that nearly won it all without some key players a year ago.

The most notable injured player right now is Michael Brantley, who still can’t run with his injured ankle. That’s not a good sign.

With the postseason starting in just over two weeks, Brantley’s status appears to be doubtful. It is so hard to watch Brantley have to miss another great run with an injury, but his absence shouldn’t hurt the team too much.

The key is for Lonnie Chisenhall to be healthy, as he is dealing with some lingering issues in his calf that has bothered him for months. If he can get healthy, the Indians can have an outfield featuring Chisenhall, Austin Jackson and Jay Bruce, with Brandon Guyer and even Jason Kipnis being the backups, while Abraham Almonte may be the odd man out. Greg Allen could even find his way onto the roster due to his speed on the bases.

The other player to watch is Andrew Miller, who is being eased back into action after dealing with tendinitis over the past month. He has to get some work in before the postseason, but that doesn’t mean he will be pitching at his normal rate, perhaps not even in October. Luckily, Tyler Olson has stepped up to provide another dominant left-handed arm in the bullpen.

Getting Chisenhall healthy helps solve a major problem both in the lineup and in the field, but this team is in a great spot heading into the postseason. The roster is so stacked I didn’t even have to bring up Bradley Zimmer‘s injury, until right now, as someone like Jackson has been playing just as well or better and can step right in and produce at a high rate.