Staying ahead of COVID-19 outbreaks and 4 other things about the Cleveland Indians – cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio Facing the opponents on your schedule is hard enough in Major League Baseball, but battling COVID-19 outbreaks at the same time can be overwhelming. Just ask Boston manager Alex Cora.

The Red Sox currently have 11 players on the COVID-19 injured list, including Kike Hernandez and Xander Bogaerts.

Indians acting manager DeMarlo Hale said its tough seeing anybody, opponent or not, have to go through what the Red Sox did the past two weeks while trying to field teams amid a COVID outbreak in the Boston clubhouse. The Red Sox are one of a handful of MLB teams that did not reach the 85% vaccination threshold this season.

I was able to talk to Alex a few times during the series because of our friendship, and he said it hasnt been easy Hale said.

Bostons situation gave Hale a deeper appreciation for how Cleveland has continued to handle the pandemic and its health and safety protocols.

Ive got to compliment this team, this organization, this medical staff for constantly reminding us, constantly being up on top of things, sharing thoughts and information, Hale said. We had a (mask) mandate up there in Boston whenever you were indoors.

Hale said Indians players also held each other accountable during the trip to Boston.

Its not easy, but weve been pretty good, Hale said. I think that goes to the medical staff and this organization.

1. Bieber bullpens

Shane Bieber threw another bullpen session prior to Mondays game, and the club will evaluate how his body responds to the activity on Tuesday. Hale acknowledged that it sounds like a broken record when it comes to reports on the ace right-hander, but the Indians medical staff is making adjustments after each session.

Bieber has not appeared in a game since June 13 after suffering a strain of the subscapularis muscle in his right shoulder.

Hopefully the next step is a simulated game in the progression, and then rehab games, Hale said. When you can get into the rehab games, youre getting closer to being back.

Hale said the 2020 AL Cy Young winner has shown throughout the entire rehab process just how much of a competitor he is.

Hes working his butt off to get back and pitch again at this level, Hale said. On the personal side, I think its a benefit that hes able to go into the offseason knowing that hes healthy and he has no issues and he can plan his offseason program in a normal way instead of a rehab way.

2. Count em up

Hale said hell keep an eye on Aaron Civales pitch count Tuesday in the right-handers first game back since late June, but there isnt really a hard limit he has in mind.

Hes climbed up to 70, and Im going to treat him like hes ready to go into the 90s, Hale said. It really depends on how you get there, you just cant script it out.

Civale, who sprained his right ring finger June 21, has made a rehab start for Lake County and two starts for Akron as he prepared to return from the injury. He went 1-0 with a 0.79 ERA in those three starts, compiling 12 strikeouts and a 0.71 WHIP in 11 1/3 innings.

3. Rehab alert

Infielder Ernie Clement, on the COVID injured list since Aug. 26, played games Saturday and Sunday in Akron, collecting a double in seven plate appearances. On Monday, Clement worked out with the Indians prior to the series opener against Minnesota. With no minor league games scheduled Monday, it was unclear where Clements next appearance would take place.

Hale said the Indians will have some decisions to make regarding the expanded 28-man roster in the coming days. One of those decisions could include catcher Roberto Perez, who will make another rehab start in Columbus on Tuesday, Hale said.

Going forward we want to get him to be able to catch nine innings, and also see how he reacts and responds the next day to those nine innings, Hale said. Hes on track.

4. Tall man, long man, late man

With the Indians going to a six-man starting rotation for the foreseeable future, expect lanky left-hander Sam Hentges get plenty of work out of the bullpen, Hale said.

His names probably going to be called a little bit more going forward because theres been a pretty good workload with some of those guys on the back end, Hale said. Youve got to use your whole bullpen, and youve got to trust them regardless.

Indians relievers rank 11th in the AL in innings pitched (490 1/3) but rank third in the league in ERA (3.73) behind Tampa Bay and the Yankees. They were taxed in June and July with a starting rotation that was in flux, so Hale said it might be time to start spreading some of their innings around.

This time of year Im going to try and ease some of the workload, He said.

Does that mean we could see Hentges in some late-game, high-leverage situations? Thats hard to answer, according to Hale.

I dont think you can say hes a long guy because he hasnt been stretched out now, Hale said. Hes more of a two-inning guy. If he has some quick innings maybe he can go 2-3. I dont want to say hes a long guy because you might see him in the 6-7th innings.

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Staying ahead of COVID-19 outbreaks and 4 other things about the Cleveland Indians - cleveland.com