DETROIT (AP) — Cleveland Indians righty Zach Plesac was put on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, the result of breaking the thumb on his pitching hand while yanking off his undershirt after a rough outing.
There was no initial word on how long the 26-year-old Plesac would be sidelined.
According to Indians manager Terry Francona, Plesac hurt himself while “rather aggressively taking off his undershirt” after Sunday’s start against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field.
Plesac started the game with three perfect innings, but the Twins scored five times in the fourth, including a three-run homer by Max Kepler. Plesac was removed from the game with two outs in the inning, starting the chain of events leading to the injury.
“I think he caught it on a chair,” Francona said before a game at Detroit. “It was pretty swollen yesterday, so we sent him for X-rays last night and got them back about the sixth inning.”
Plesac will be driven from Detroit to Cleveland on Tuesday evening, then travel to Dayton, Ohio, to see Dr. Thomas J. Graham.
Plesac, who is 4-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 10 starts, was placed on the restricted list in August for violating team COVID-19 protocols.
The Indians’ roster has taken quite a few hits this month.
Right-hander RHP Triston McKenzie, who walked an AL-high 30 in 31 1/3 innings, was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday. One of the organization’s top prospects, the 23-year-old McKenzie went 1-3 with a 6.89 ERA and 44 strikeouts in seven starts and one relief appearance.
Slugger Franmil Reyes will be out for between five and seven weeks because of an internal oblique strain after getting hurt last weekend in Minnesota. Catcher Roberto Pérez had surgery for a broken right thumb earlier this month, and is on the 60-day injured list.
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