Cleveland Indians’ RHP Corey Kluber goes on 10-day IL with fractured forearm but won’t need surgery
The Cleveland Indians got some good news on Friday about the injured Corey Kluber, but that doesn’t mean the two-time Cy Young Award winner won’t still miss an extended period of time.
Kluber, 33, was hurt on Wednesday after being struck by a line drive by Brian Anderson in the fifth inning of Cleveland’s game against the Miami Marlins. He was initially diagnosed with a fractured right ulna, a bone in the forearm.
An X-ray and CT scan performed after returning to Cleveland confirmed the fracture. The good news, though, is that he won’t need surgery. Kluber will be re-evaluated in three or four weeks, according to MLB.com’s Mandy Bell, and there is no timetable for his return. The Indians placed him on the 10-day IL on Friday, calling up RHP Jon Edwards to fill his roster spot.
Before the injury, Kluber was having the worst season of his nine-year career. He’s 2-3 in seven starts so far in 2019 with a 5.80 ERA, seventh-worst among qualified starters. He’s also 82nd out of 85 starting pitchers in the league in WHIP. In the previous five seasons, Kluber has averaged more than 16 wins a year with a 2.85 ERA. He won the Cy Young Award in 2014 and 2017.
The Indians have some options to try to ride out Kluber’s injury. Trevor Bauer has established himself as an early Cy Young favorite in the American League, going 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA. Second-year starter Shane Bieber has struck out 34 in 29.1 innings. Jefry Rodriguez, acquired from Washington in the offseason in the Yan Gomes deal, has a 2.13 ERA so far this year in two starts and is holding opponents to a .174 average.
Kluber joins a long list of Indians pitchers who’ve already missed time in 2019. Mike Clevinger is on the 60-day IL with a back injury and won’t return until June at the earliest. Adam Plutko, expected to be Cleveland’s back-up plan if any starters got injured, is himself recovering from a forearm strain and has yet to pitch this season.
The Indians, champions of the AL Central the previous three seasons, are currently three games behind the division-leading Minnesota Twins.