Cleveland Indians: Francisco Lindor out with calf strain

The Cleveland Indians star shortstop will miss most or all of Spring Training with a calf injury. How can the Tribe fill in the blanks in the meantime?

Francisco Lindor became the subject of the latest bit of unpleasant news circulating around the Cleveland Indians on Friday. A story from MLB Trade Rumors reports that Lindor suffered a right calf strain, and will be shelved for a time frame between seven and nine weeks.

This timeline means that, at best, Lindor will have next to no opportunity to participate in Spring Training before Opening Day. At worst, he’ll miss the Tribe’s first few regular season series’.

This development is concerning all on its own, considering the player in question. Further adding to the uncertainty of the immediate future, however, is that the Indians don’t have a tried-and-true shortstop to take Lindor’s place in the meantime.

Erik Gonzalez is a Pittsburgh Pirate now, and the next shortstop on Cleveland’s depth chart is Yu Chang, who has exactly zero innings of big league experience. He’ll have plenty of time to audition in Goodyear, and depending on Lindor’s recovery process, may well be the starter on Opening Day.

Opportunities for prospects to get everyday reps notwithstanding now might be the time for Indians upper management to pivot away from their general lack of participation in free agency. A big splash is not needed, but there are a handful of players left unsigned who could fill in as serviceable emergency replacements for Lindor, such as Adeiny Hechavarria and Alcides Escobar.

In any case, whether it’s for updates on Lindor or activity from the front office, all we can do for now is wait.