Cleveland Indians: A roster move that could be permanent

The Cleveland Indians made a roster move today that could end up being a sign of things to come for a veteran on the roster.

Cleveland Indians fans are witnessing a historic season from Josh Tomlin. Just not historic in a good way.

Tomlin gave up yet another home run Monday night, bringing his total to 21 home runs allowed in 49 innings of work. That 6.98 ERA is also ugly on the eyes.

The veteran pitcher has lost any support he previously had from Indians fans and is now headed to the disabled list.

One way to look at this is that Tomlin was struggling because of his hamstring. And knowing the way Terry Francona operates, Tomlin will likely be given another chance to prove himself.

It just doesn’t seem like more time will help his cause. Tomlin finished the 2017 season with an ERA of 4.98 and has only gotten worse this season. He is a free agent after the year and someone like Adam Plutko seems to be a clear better option right now.

Tomlin doesn’t allow runs every time he makes an appearance. In fact, he only allowed runs in two of his eight appearances in June. The problem is that Tomlin isn’t a reliable member of the bullpen. He is prone to allowing home runs, as we all know, and doesn’t have shutdown stuff that warrants him coming into a close game in the later innings.

Right now the Indians are without Andrew Miller, Tyler Olson and Nick Goody. Any one of those three returning should mean Tomlin is let go. There just isn’t a spot for him here anymore.

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So if this DL stint extends a few weeks, it may mean the end of Tomlin’s time in Cleveland. That becomes even more likely if the team makes a trade for a reliever.