CLEVELAND, OH (92.3 The Fan) - With the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers in a weather delay at the outset of Wednesday's doubleheader at Progressive Field, here are a few of the latest updates on the Tribe's battered roster.
Josh Naylor Scheduled for Surgery
After sustaining a fractured and dislocated ankle on Friday at Target Field, Josh Naylor's surgery has been scheduled. He'll go under-the-knife on Friday at Cleveland Clinic after he met with foot and ankle specialist Dr. Mark Berkowitz earlier this afternoon. Dr. Berkowitz confirmed that Naylor would need surgery in order to make an appropriate recovery.
The Indians will have a better outlook on Naylor's rehab and recovery process after the surgery concludes.
Naylor suffered ligament tearing and multiple fractures in a nasty collision with teammate Ernie Clement on Sunday in Minneapolis. He was kept in a hospital overnight after being carted off the field, before coming back to Cleveland on Monday.
Bo Naylor to Play in All-Star Futures Game
While Josh is recovering, his younger brother Bo Naylor got some great news on Wednesday afternoon. The former 2018 1st round draft pick found out that he will represent the Indians in Denver, Colorado on July 11th as part of the annual SiriusXM Future's Game.
Naylor's statistics haven't lived up to his expectations this year, but he is Cleveland's No. 3 overall prospect according to MLB.com.
Bo Naylor is hitting .183 in 31 games this year at Akron with 5 doubles, a home run and 8 RBI's.
Latest Update on Shane Bieber and Zach Plesac
While Terry Francona's pitching staff needs it's leader back as soon as possible, it doesn't appear he'll be ready for a little while. Reigning American League Cy Young winner Shane Bieber still needs to wait another 1-2 weeks before he'll be cleared to pick up a baseball again after his strained right shoulder hasn't healed as quickly as the team hoped. His return is still TBD.
Meanwhile, Zach Plesac is on track to return to the rotation in early July. He threw a rehab outing in Double-A Akron Tuesday night, pitching 1.2 innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk. The Indians coaching staff is planning to meet with the front office to figure out what the appropriate steps are to bring Plesac back into the mix at the big league level.