Clevinger OK, expected to make next start

June 18th, 2019

ARLINGTON -- Despite a sore left ankle after Monday night’s misstep off the mound, Indians starter appears on track to make his next start Saturday in Detroit, manager Terry Francona said Tuesday.

Clevinger put a scare into himself and his team Monday night when he turned his left ankle coming off the mound to field a grounder, with the team going so far as to perform an X-ray even after he stayed in the game. Clevinger had been making his first start since spending more than two months on the injured list with a back strain.

“He’s a little bit discolored, got some swelling in there,” Francona said. “If you talk to Clev, he’s like, ‘Hey, I’ll be fine. [Head athletic trainer] James [Quinlan] and the guys, I think they think he’s going to be fine for his next start, but they want to make sure that he can throw a side [session] and not put himself in a precarious situation because of that. But I think all things will lead towards him being OK.”

Including Monday’s loss, a 4 2/3-inning, five-run affair, Clevinger is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in three starts this season. He has 29 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.