McKenzie earns another start; DeShields out

CLEVELAND -- Triston McKenzie turned in one of the best Major League debuts in Indians history on Saturday night against the Tigers -- a performance that made the Tribe want to keep him around for at least one more start.

Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said on Sunday that McKenzie will remain on the 28-man roster and will take the rubber another time after he allowed just one run (a solo homer) on two hits with 10 strikeouts.

• Dream debut for McKenzie: 10 K's and a W

“Last night was a lot of fun,” Antonetti said. “There was a lot of excitement around the team pregame, and then for Triston to even begin the game the way he did, just attacking the strike zone from pitch one and then maintaining that aggressiveness throughout the game and demonstrating four quality pitches and an ability to throw strikes with the ball.

“I’m not sure you could script a better Major League debut than the one Triston had.”

The 23-year-old would be lined up to pitch in St. Louis next Friday, however the team has an off-day on Thursday, which could shake up the order of the rotation. The Tribe knows it will send Aaron Civale to the mound on Monday and Shane Bieber on Tuesday, but Wednesday is still undecided.

Adam Plutko is penciled in as Wednesday’s starter, but Antonetti said that is not final. Plutko replaced Mike Clevinger in the starting rotation after Clevinger and Zach Plesac were placed on the restricted list (and eventually optioned to the alternate training site) for violating team protocols. Since then, Plutko has posted a 9.90 ERA over three starts (10 innings).

Plesac and Clevinger will be eligible to be recalled to the big league team beginning on Monday. The Tribe will have to determine whether to keep Plutko in the rotation or go with Plesac, Clevinger or another arm.

DeShields is day-to-day
Delino DeShields was removed from Saturday’s game with left hip tightness. The Indians kept him out of the lineup on Sunday and will wait until Monday to determine his next step.

“Well, it’s tough to judge in this stage,” Indians temporary manager Sandy Alomar Jr. said. “He feels a little tight in his hip. Greg Allen is going to be playing center field. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow when he comes in and we’ll make an evaluation.”

Excitement for Little League
Major League Baseball announced Sunday morning that the Indians will face the Angels in the 2021 Little League Classic on Aug. 22. The two teams will start their three-game series in Cleveland on Aug. 20 and the contest in Williamsport, Pa., will count as a home game for the Tribe. Although it’s 364 days away, the Indians are already feeling the excitement to be involved in such a unique event.

“It’s really exciting to be part of it,” Antonetti said. “I think all of us, when we’re little, we all have dreams of playing in the Little League World Series, and what Williamsport means and to be able to have our group go back and participate in that -- and also being part of helping highlight the game for youth and spotlight that, it should be a really fun experience. I know it’s one that we, as an organization, are looking forward to, and our players will be excited about playing in that environment, too.”