After being pulled from the Cleveland Indians' win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, Mike Clevinger said he was confident he'd be making his next scheduled start.
But as it turns out, the 28-year-old right-hander's injury was worse than believed.
On Tuesday, the Indians announced that Clevinger had been placed on the 10-day injured list -- although that's not necessarily indicative of the severity of what's been labeled a "right upper back/Teres major muscle strain." Speaking to reporters in Detroit ahead of Cleveland's 1:10 p.m. matchup with the Tigers, Indians manager Terry Francona revealed that it will be at least six-to-eight weeks before Clevinger picks up a baseball and resumes pitching activity.
Although he's technically Cleveland's No. 4 starter, the loss of Clevinger is a significant one for an Indians' team still without All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor. After working all offseason to improve his velocity, the player nicknamed "Sunshine" put together two impressive starts to kickoff his 2019 campaign, recording a career-high 12 strikeouts in the Indians home opener vs. the Chicago White Sox last week.
After receiving a no-decision after pitching seven scoreless inning against the White Sox, Clevinger earned his first win of the season on Sunday when he recorded 10 strikeouts in five innings to complete a sweep against the Blue Jays. Although he was pulled after throwing just 75 pitches, Clevinger insisted his removal from the game due to back tightness was merely precautionary although tests later revealed his injury to be more severe that he initially believed.
In Clevinger's place, the Indians have called up right-handed pitcher Nick Wittgren from Triple-A Columbus. Acquired from the Miami Marlins in a February trade, Wittgren posted a 2-1 record, 2.94 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 32 appearances at the major league level last season.