Cleveland Indians: How close to a return are Tribe’s injured stars?

Zach Plesac, SP, Cleveland Indians

Odd injuries for starting pitching in Cleveland isn’t something new. First it was a drone, now it was aggressively removing a shirt. Regardless of how it happened, Zach Plesac hit the injured list on May 26, the third blow within about a week to the Tribe’s lineup and the first injury challenge to the starting rotation.

Fast forward to now and Terry Francona has somehow managed to piece together a decent rotation that is still winning games, albeit against some of baseball’s worst teams. Good timing, I guess. Luckily, Plesac might be on track to return as well.

Plesac is set to throw a bullpen today (June 18) and should be able to begin a throwing program to get his arm back in shape. Like Reyes, Antonetti believes a rehab assignment could be a week or two away. For Plesac that will obviously take longer.

Given how long between starts, Plesac’s rehab will take some time. The added factor of his throwing thumb being what was injured could add a layer of uncertainty to his effectiveness.

Right now, his projected return by the team is early July, which means rehab will have to start soon. If that’s true, he could arrive just in time for the Tribe who are in desperate need of starting pitching help, whether it be internally or externally.