Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor has been sent to Triple-A to begin a rehab assignment as the All-Star is moving closer to rejoining the big league club after being slowed by a left ankle injury.
The Indians announced the move Monday before starting a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners. Cleveland also activated second baseman Jason Kipnis from the 10-day injured list and designated for assignment veteran infielder Brad Miller.
The switch-hitting Lindor was making steady progress from a right calf injury when he rolled his ankle while caught in a rundown during a minor league scrimmage in Arizona. Lindor batted .277 last season with 38 home runs, 92 RBIs and 25 steals.
Lindor was hopeful of playing Monday night with Columbus but travel delays pushed his first game back to Tuesday. Cleveland manager Terry Francona didn’t have a set number of games for Lindor to play before rejoining the Indians.
“It’s going to depend on how he feels and the last thing we want to do is slow him down,” Francona said. “But we want to set him up for success. We want to make sure he’s OK.”
Kipnis opened the season on the injured list after suffering a calf strain late in spring training. He played just 10 games in spring because of hip, quad and calf injuries and appeared in six games at Triple-A during his rehab assignment.
Miller hit .250 in 13 games for the Indians.
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