CLEVELAND — The Tribe is losing yet another starting pitcher, with right-handed pitcher Aaron Civale out at least four to five weeks with a finger injury.
On Tuesday, manager Terry Francona said he expected right-handed pitcher Aaron Civale to be unavailable for multiple games with a finger injury.
"My guess is that we will need to make a roster move. Because of tomorrow's day off we can let him get looked at first," Francona said. "But I think we're prepared that he's going to miss some time."
Civale left Monday's game against the Chicago Cubs in the fifth inning due to a right middle finger injury. Francona and a trainer evaluated Civale's hand and pulled him from the game.
On Wednesday, Civale was examined by Dr. Thomas Graham in Dayton and diagnosed with a sprained right middle finger after an MRI of his right hand.
The Tribe said Civale will be shut down from throwing for the next week or two and is expected to miss around four to five weeks of game activity.
The loss of Civale is a massive blow to the rotation, which has already seen the loss of ace Shane Bieber, who is dealing with a shoulder injury, and starting pitcher Zach Plesac, who is recovering from a fractured finger.
Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen, who have been in the starting pitching rotation at points throughout the season, have been sent down to the minors.
After Tuesday's matchup with the Cubs, the Tribe will have Wednesday to rest, recuperate and sort out some of the pitching woes before heading off to a four-game series with the Minnesota Twins that starts on Thursday.
Francona said that the plan for the next few games will find Eli Morgan on the mound Tuesday, Jean Carlos Mejía on Thursday, Cal Quantrill on Friday, Sam Hentges and back to Morgan on Sunday. After that, the plan is up in the air.
"Obviously, on Monday, we have to figure something out," Francona said.
The Tribe is dealing with a plethora of injuries to not only the pitching staff but also to key players such as Franmil Reyes, Roberto Pérez and Austin Hedges. Even so, they have still managed to find themselves second in the American League Central Division, just 2 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox.
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