Cleveland Indians: Jason Kipnis is not heading to the disabled list

Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis left Thursday’s game with tightness in his hamstring, but he is not heading back to the disabled list.

Jason Kipnis is not having a great year, but no Cleveland Indians fan wants to see yet another starter head to the disabled list.

That was why it was so frustrating to see Kipnis leave Thursday’s game with what was deemed tightness in the same hamstring that kept him out for nearly a month.

But in a rare instance of luck for this team, Kipnis’ situation is not as dire as it seemed when he left the field Thursday night.

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There goes Andre Knott, always hitting us with that great news.

Kipnis has been struggling on offense all season but he has also dealt with several stints on the disabled list. Hopefully a clean bill of health will allow him to get those numbers up.

As Knott’s tweet says, Kipnis is available off the bench tonight but I don’t see a scenario in which he enters as a pinch-hitter. His .227/.286/.390 slash line doesn’t exactly make him a prime candidate to replace anyone in the lineup late in a game.

His lack of production may lead to Terry Francona having to make a tough decision regarding the veteran’s playing time later in the season, but for now it appears he will remain the starting second baseman once he returns.

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But if he continues struggling, it will be difficult to keep him out there with the postseason approaching.