"We're still working through the options with Clev – whether we go the surgical route or the conservative route," President Chris Antonetti said. "There's nothing really imminent time wise just because of the nature of the injury. If we were going to go conservative treatment, he'd be doing exactly what he's doing now and if there were surgery, we'd need to allow a little bit of time to pass from the injury before they did their surgery."
Jefry Rodriguez will start in Clevinger's place Saturday against the Royals. The 25-year-old was acquired in the Yan Gomes trade. He's only expected to make one start.
Adam Plutko would likely be getting the nod, but he's dealing with a forearm injury and is still a few weeks away from returning.
"He's at the point of being able to do everything baseball wise," Antonetti said. "From taking ground balls to taking batting practice, it's just a question of those more aggressive movements and turns and that's the next step in his progression."
The Indians aren't sure when he'll be able to make a minor-league start, but they do want him to be completely comfortable planting, turning and cutting on the ankle. Lindor missed all of spring training with a calf strain. It could take him some time to get ready in the minors once he's ready to go. The Indians want him to get plenty of healthy in-game reps before he joins the team. They've been determined to bring him back at full strength, even if it means taking it slow.