(WKRK) After missing most of the second half of the 2021 season with health issues, Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona confirmed he’s on track to be back in the dugout in 2022.
That was the hope of Francona and the organization all along, and Francona told the Boston Globe in a recent interview that he’s ready to get back to leading his team and is appreciative of Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti’s support.
“I told Chris in August, ‘Hey look, the minute you feel you need to move on, you will never once hear a peep out of me,’” Francona told the Globe. “‘I get it. Don’t let our relationship get in the way, because it’s not fair to you.’ He said, ‘As long as you are OK, we want you to come back.’”
Francona, 62, announced in late July that he was stepping aside for the remainder of the 2021 season as he dealt with a staph infection in his toe as well as an ailing hip. Francona had toe and hip surgeries in recent months. Francona also had gastrointestinal issues in 2020 that caused him to miss most of the pandemic-shortened season.
Gradually, Francona is feeling better on the health front and he's planning his return to the dugout.
“Technically, I’m still on crutches, but I haven’t been using my crutches for a while,” Francona told the Globe. “I’m in a boot.
“I’m so tired of limping, I can’t stand it. I haven’t worn two shoes in a year. All my shoes, the right one looks worn out and the left one looks brand new.”
Francona is 753-601 (.556) in his nine-year tenure in Cleveland. The Guardians went 80-82 in 2021, finishing second in the AL Central.
