GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Indians pitchers, catchers and even a handful of position players took the fields and filled the halls of the Tribe’s Spring Training facility on Tuesday afternoon. But the sudden uptick in excitement and energy in the desert can only mean the true roster competition is about to heat up.

The Tribe currently has nine outfielders listed on its 40-man roster -- not including Domingo Santana, who is expected to sign with the Indians in the next week -- with only three starting spots and possibly two openings on the bench. They also have six strong candidates for the two vacancies on the starting staff, joining rotation locks Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber and Carlos Carrasco.

With a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Indians’ roster, let’s take a look at the key players to watch over the next six weeks of Spring Training:

Aaron Civale/Zach Plesac
What Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac were able to do for the Indians last year was nothing short of impressive after beginning the year in Double-A Akron. That makes it even harder to imagine one of them having to start the 2020 season in Triple-A Columbus.

Civale came up for a spot start in June and was later recalled to the Majors as a permanent addition to the rotation in August following the Trevor Bauer trade. It wasn’t until his 10th and final start of the year that he allowed more than two earned runs in an outing. Plesac earned a regular spot in the rotation last May and owned a 3.81 ERA in 21 starts. If there’s two open spots, why wouldn’t they both automatically get the jobs? Adam Plutko makes the situation a little more confusing.

Plutko is now out of Minor League options. In order for the Tribe to keep him, he’ll either have to open the year in the rotation or the bullpen. The team can put a maximum of eight relievers in the ‘pen. Plutko could be used as a long reliever, but if the Indians plug him into the rotation at the start of the year, manager Terry Francona has already hinted that Plesac or Civale would not go to the bullpen, but instead go down to Triple-A. It may end up being a battle between the two young right-handers to stay up in the big leagues.

Franmil Reyes
Should the Indians officially ink Santana, Franmil Reyes' opportunity in the outfield might grow larger. The Tribe had already said they hope Reyes can be more than just a designated hitter, and the outfielder put in extra work in the offseason, dropping 18 pounds in order to be more agile defensively. According to Statcast, Santana ranked second to last in Outs Above Average (-13) among 92 qualified outfielders. In order to keep both of their bats in the lineup and keep a strong outfield, the Indians really need to see defensive improvement from Reyes during camp.

Daniel Johnson
Indians prospect Daniel Johnson, on the other hand, is a solid defender with above-average arm strength. The 24-year-old hit .306 with an .867 OPS, 27 doubles, five triples and 44 RBIs in 84 games with Columbus last year and certainly caught the Indians’ attention. If Santana gets thrown into the mix, forcing Reyes to spend more time in the outfield, it may be harder for Johnson to find his place on the roster for Opening Day. He’ll have to have an outstanding showing in camp to break his way through.

Emmanuel Clase
The Indians got a taste of relief prospect James Karinchak last September. Now they’ll have six weeks to get a good grasp of what Emmanuel Clase can provide after they acquired him from the Rangers in the Corey Kluber trade. His triple-digit cutter is rumored to be electric and he’s expected to eventually evolve into a closer in the future. But will his inexperience lead to him beginning the year in Triple-A? Clase will have to prove to his new organization that he’s ready to break camp with the big league team at the end of March. If he can, he may be one of the missing pieces, along with Karinchak, to take the Indians’ bullpen to the next level.