Brantley Could Begin BP on Field by Weekend by Jordan Bastian / MLB.Com | @Mlbastian | March 7Th, 2016 GOODYEAR, Ariz
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Brantley could begin BP on field by weekend By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | March 7th, 2016 GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Michael Brantley continues to check off positive milestones in his march toward a return to the Indians' lineup. On Monday morning, manager Terry Francona noted that Brantley's scheduled checkup with Dr. Craig Morgan on Sunday went as well as Cleveland could have hoped. Morgan, who performed the left fielder's right shoulder surgery in November, cleared Brantley to continue his hitting progression, which could include batting practice on the field by this weekend. "It was all according to plan, which is all good," Francona said. "There's no red flags, nothing. He just got a really good report." There is still no clear timetable for Brantley to make his Cactus League debut, and the expectation remains that the left fielder's comeback could linger into early April. Francona indicated that the Indians discussed having Brantley play the outfield (with no at-bats) in Monday's "B" game against the Reds, but the outfielder preferred to stick with his morning workout. The manager said the team was fine with that approach, considering how diligent Brantley has been with his rehab, defense and batting cage work each day. "He's worked really hard in the mornings," Francona said. "I had talked to him about, 'Hey, when you come back, we don't want you to be slowed down, because your legs are sore or something.' So he's worked really hard to make sure that won't happen." Other items of note from Monday morning: • Right-hander Shawn Armstrong struck out two in one shutout inning of relief against the Reds on Thursday, but it is not clear when the reliever will make his next appearance. Francona noted that Armstrong is currently dealing with right lat tightness, though the issue is not considered serious. "Last year at this time, he had a little bit of lat tightness," Francona said. "He ran into the same thing the other day. He ended up finishing the inning, but it's Spring Training. I'm not sure we're real big on somebody trying to throw through that. We can eliminate that very easily, so we'll probably bump him back a couple days." • Right-hander Zach McAllister, who was sent home with flu-like symptoms on Sunday, was still dealing with the issue on Monday. Francona said McAllister was scheduled to be examined at the complex, but the pitcher was instructed to stay home and rest for the remainder of the day. "He's lost a bunch of weight," Francona said. "Hopefully he doesn't spread it. And then we'll figure out when he can pop back in there, but he's going to have to get some strength back." • Veteran third baseman Juan Uribe served as the designated hitter in a "B" game on Monday morning against the Reds on the eve of his planned Cactus League debut, going 1-for-4 with a sun-assisted single. Francona said that Uribe is slated to be the designated hitter against the Mariners in Tuesday's home game "if everything goes OK" with Monday's game. • Up to this point, Francona has given his position players starts in Cactus League games on alternating days. The manager said this week he will begin playing some of his regulars in consecutive games as the team continues to build towards Opening Day. Homers back Salazar's scoreless outing By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com | March 7th, 2016 PHOENIX -- Jose Ramirez and Giovanny Urshela slugged home runs in a four-run first inning off Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood as the Indians coasted to an 8-5 Cactus League win on Monday at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Tyler Naquin, fighting for the Indians' center-field job, had three hits and Urshela drove in four runs. Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager committed back-to-back errors in the first inning to make three of the five runs charged to Wood unearned in his two innings. The Dodgers committed four errors in the game. "I thought my stuff was pretty good for the most part, with one or two bad pitches," said Wood. "Overall, pretty good." Cleveland starting pitcher Danny Salazar worked around a pair of first-inning walks to hold the Dodgers scoreless in his three innings of work. "Today was better," said Salazar, who had a shaky first inning in his Cactus League debut on Thursday. "I felt like I had more control of the game, my body, too. I was just taking my time between pitches, and just staying back a little bit more. I was not trying to rush through my pitches." Non-roster infielder Charlie Culberson launched a three-run home run off Cleveland non-roster reliever Joba Chamberlain in the fifth inning to put the Dodgers on the scoreboard. Brandon Beachy, leading contender for the spot in the Dodgers' starting rotation opened byBrett Anderson's injury, overcame command issues to work two scoreless innings. After the victory, Naquin and a handful of other players hoisted Mike Barnett -- the Tribe's new replay coordinator and staff assistant -- up in the air and carried him through the line of handshakes in celebration. Staffers had been playfully giving Barnett grief that the team had not won a game since he was hired. "It's fun," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "You saw the guys. We've been really getting on Barney in the mornings about, since he joined the organization, we haven't won. So, Naquin and those guys picked him up and put him on their shoulders just to have a little fun." Up next for Indians: Right-hander Trevor Bauer is scheduled to start and log three innings on Tuesday, when the Indians host the Mariners in a 3:05 p.m. ET Cactus League tilt at Goodyear Ballpark. Pitching prospect Mike Clevinger, who has impressed the Tribe this spring, is penciled in for two innings after Bauer's exit. New third baseman Juan Uribe is slated to make his spring debut as a designated hitter, while regulars Jason Kipnis,Francisco Lindor and Mike Napoli will also be in the lineup. Up next for the Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw makes his second start of the spring on Tuesday when the Dodgers travel to Mesa to play the Cubs. Kershaw will likely stretch to three innings after pitching two against the White Sox on Thursday. Indians taking aggressive Hunter along slowly Hard-throwing right-hander recovering from multiple core-muscle surgeries By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | March 7th, 2016 GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Tommy Hunter had been waiting for this day for months. Cleveland has had the hard-throwing reliever on a tight leash over the past few weeks, but he hoped for a little slack for his first bullpen session of Spring Training on Monday morning. No such luck. "We'll have like six guys over there holding him down," Indians manager Terry Francona quipped. Kidding aside, Monday's mound workout was an encouraging step for Hunter, who plans on doing everything in his power to join the Indians' bullpen as soon as possible. Hunter understands that day might not arrive until late April or May, given that he underwent multiple core-muscle surgeries and had a couple setbacks over a discouraging offseason. Prior to his first bullpen session, which went without incident, Hunter had been limited to doing mound drills without throwing a baseball this spring. "It's been miserable," said the reliever. Hunter's personality is about as aggressive as his fastball, so the Indians have had to do their part in slowing him down some this spring. The training staff has met with him to go over the detailed plan for his comeback, and the reasons behind certain drills or the gradual steps. Cleveland does not want to take any shortcuts and the righty had bought in. "If it were up to me, I'd try to be throwing right now," Hunter said. "But, they sat me down and really talked about the needs and things that I needed to be able to do. Then, you start understanding why you do some of these things and why it's such a process. With me, I'm not much of a process guy. I'm going for results." The results were especially strong for Hunter over the 2013-14 seasons, when he posted a 2.88 ERA with a 4.35 strikeout-to-walk ration in 128 games (147 innings) combined for Baltimore. Last year, Hunter had a 4.18 ERA in 58 games for the Orioles and Cubs, who acquired him via trade on July 31. Roughly a week into the offseason, the pitcher required his first core-muscle surgery. At one point over the winter, Hunter reached an agreement on a reported two-year, $12 million contract with the Yankees, but he failed a physical with New York and the deal fell apart. The Yankees' concerns were unrelated to his core and groin issues, though. Cleveland did its homework and gave Hunter a full physical, which included MRI exams on his throwing elbow and shoulder, among other tests. The Indians did not find anything that gave them hesitation and Hunter signed a one-year, $2 million contract that includes $1 million in performance bonuses. "It was rough, but things fell into place," Hunter said of the offseason negotiations. "Things all happen for a reason. It's one of those deals where these guys are making you feel like you're a part of something. The training staff is good and the guys are good." Neither Hunter nor right-hander Craigh Stammen (right forearm) are expected to be ready in time for Opening Day, but Francona likes knowing those two arms will be available at some point.