Cleveland Indians 3-point checklist to conclude the season

The Cleveland Indians need to get a look at at least one prospect.

At this point in the season Cleveland’s attention is on 2022. Sure, they are still competing to win games, but the focus has shifted. Rather than trying to make a hard playoff push, this year has turned into an audition for next year. With that, the club needs to take an extended look at at least one prospect.

Rosters are about to expand and while the expansion is much smaller than it used to be, it can still be used to get an early look at a prospect or two. For Cleveland, there’s a few different positions that are open to competition and opening the door to a prospect now could be a smart move for the future.

The middle infielder, specifically second base, is a position that comes to mind, as does the outfield. Both are areas that Cleveland has rising prospects that could push for playing time as well as gaps that are open to competition.

There’s other areas on the field that could use upgrades, but the prospects might not be ready yet to make that push. Bringing up players that are both ready and have an opportunity would be the right move down the stretch for Cleveland.

The Cleveland Indians need a one week preview of the 2022 rotation

The rotation for the 2022 season is coming into focus. There’s the Big Three from the 2016 MLB Draft and Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie have placed themselves as the front-runners for the other two spots. The only downside is we have yet to see the whole unit in action at the same time.

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Quantrill and McKenzie were given their opportunities to shine when injuries hit the other three, so there’s been pieces but never the whole picture. The good news is that Plesac and Quantrill are currently healthy (knock on wood) while Civale and McKenzie are almost back. McKenzie should be activated in the next 24 hours or so and Civale is making what will hopefully be his last rehab start.

That leaves just Shane Bieber to make his way back. Now, you don’t want to rush Bieber and if he gets shut down, that might end up being the better option. However, if time allows and Bieber can be 100% healthy for a start or two at the end of the season, seeing this full five work together through a week could be huge.

Starting pitching has been the lifeblood of Cleveland for a long time now and this unit will be no different. While we’re excited about the possibility of what they could do in 2022, seeing a brief sample could really create some buzz to close out the year.