Indians lose pitcher for year with elbow problems
Cleveland Indians right-hander Cody Anderson will undergo reconstructive elbow surgery and miss the 2017 season.
The AL champions said Sunday that Anderson has elected to have the operation after being diagnosed with a ligament sprain. The 26-year-old made nine starts for Cleveland last season and was expected to begin this year at Triple-A Buffalo. His loss hurts Cleveland’s pitching depth.
Anderson was going to try treatment first, but decided to have surgery to ensure he misses no more than one season.
“It can be a really difficult decision,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “Through the medical people, I think Cody made a mature decision. I think he thought it through. This way it is all in front of him now. This way he gets it done. Knowing Cody the way he works, he’ll come back even better. He was working out this morning . He works so hard, He will probably come back better.”
Also, second baseman Jason Kipnis is still four to five weeks away from playing in a game as he deals with shoulder inflammation. Kipnis received a second opinion on his shoulder and has been cleared to resume a strengthening program in a week.
“That’s a return to play,” Francona said. “It’s actually pretty close to what we guessed at early.”
Jose Ramirez, Richie Shaffer, Erik Gonzalez and Giovanny Urshella are options to fill in for Kipnis until he returns.
“Ramirez went over there yesterday (second base). He’s going back over there again today. Just to make sure. That is his most comfortable position but he hasn’t been over there that much. We’ll give him some reps over there just to keep some options open.”
Pillar 0-for-7 in bunt-fest: Kevin Pillar was back in the minors for a bunt-fest.
The Toronto Blue Jays center fielder spent Sunday switching from a Triple-A exhibition game to a Double-A contest on adjacent fields, attempting to reach on bunt singles in all seven at-bats.
Pillar might need a little more practice he went 0 for 7.
“It’s something that I want to have as a tool, something in my back pocket,” he said. “Find another way to get on base. To be confident enough to get my bunt down, place it where I want to place it. A perfectly executed bunt is tough to defend, even if they know it’s coming.”
Pillar has worked on bunting off a pitching machine and said it almost has become easy to place the ball.
Facing Yankees minor leaguers at New York’s complex in Tampa, Florida, Pillar struck out in his first two at-bats on foul bunts with two strikes. After bunting the ball in the air to the first baseman on his next try, he got the final four attempts down but was thrown out each time.
“It’s good for me to get out here and realize there’s still a lot work to be done,” Pillar said. “It started out pretty bad and then a little bit better. So, I take that as a positive days work. I’ll continue to work on it, and make it a part of my game as best that I can.”
Prado out with hamstring: Miami Marlins third baseman Martin Prado is expected to miss the start of the regular season after straining his right hamstring at the World Baseball Classic.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly already has ruled out Prado playing in any exhibition games.
Playing for Team Venezuela, Prado injured his hamstring running out a ground ball in the sixth inning of Wednesday’s loss to Team USA.
He left the game immediately, returning to South Florida to undergo an MRI exam on Saturday and consult with team doctors.
The Marlins are not attaching a timeline to his return to the lineup. Their first regular season game is April 3 at Washington.