The Indians' already shaky outfield has been beset by injuries this season, but today, the club managed to get one of its key pieces back.
The Tribe activated second-year center fielder Bradley Zimmer from the 10-day disabled list Friday. The 25-year-old originally bruised his ribs while crashing into the outfield wall on May 5 against the New York Yankees, and went on to miss roughly three weeks after initially trying to come back.
Zimmer, who impressed with his speed and defense as a rookie in 2017, has struggled at the plate in his sophomore season, slashing just .224/.283/.337 for a paltry OPS+ of just 64 in 32 games. He has, however, stolen four bases, and his range factor of 2.82 per nine innings puts him near the top among all outfielders.
Fellow outfielders Lonnie Chisenhall, Brandon Guyer, and Tyler Naquin remain on the DL, and it is still unclear when all three will be back. Young Greg Allen and veteran Melky Cabrera have filled in, with Allen particularly impressing by hitting .375 with a walk-off home run in his past six games.
ZImmer will not, however, be in the starting lineup for tonight's game against the Minnesota Twins, as Allen will bat ninth and play center.
Even with Zimmer back, all of the remaining big league outfielders will stay put in Cleveland for the time being. Instead, the Indians sent pitcher Shane Bieber back to AAA Columbus to make room for Zimmer on the roster. The 23-year-old Bieber made his Major League debut Thursday, giving up four runs while striking out six over 5 2/3 innings.
With two off days on the horizon, the Tribe will not need more than four starting pitchers until roughly May 12, allowing them to avoid sending an outfielder back to the minors or releasing him during that time.
