CLEVELAND -- The Indians can officially breathe a sigh of relief.

Starter Carlos Carrasco was sent for a precautionary MRI on Tuesday after he left the Indians' 3-1 loss to the Marlins at the end of the fourth inning due to left knee discomfort. But on Wednesday morning, the right-hander said the results came back negative and he will be able to make his next start on Sunday in Houston.

“It just went down, bruised and that was it,” Carrasco said. “That’s nothing different. I’m able to walk and go through my routine back there. So, it’s normal. It’s just a little bit sore because I hit the ground really good, but that’s it.”

Carrasco fell and did a somersault while covering first base, slamming his left knee on the ground.

“You know what, I’m just trying to catch that ball,” Carrasco said. “Then I think I reached way too out there and I fell straight down, just went down to my knee.”

The 32-year-old had tossed three perfect innings and had just allowed his first hit of the evening to the batter before he sustained the bruise. And while he talked his way into staying on the mound when the training staff came out to check on him after the play, he knew he shouldn’t come back out for the fifth inning when he returned to the dugout.

“Tito [manager Terry Francona] came to me and said, ‘Is everything alright?’ and I said, ‘Yes. I can continue to pitch,’” Carrasco said. “But after the last out, I just kind of felt a little bit sore and I don’t want to pitch like that. I don’t want to continue to pitch like that and hurt and you know, take me [out] for a long time. But I’m glad everything is fine.”

The Indians dodged a bullet after already losing a key piece to their starting rotation on April 7 when Mike Clevinger left his start with an upper back strain. Carrasco came to the ballpark on Wednesday and said he passed the exercises the training staff asked him to do, meaning he is completely cleared to go through his typical workouts.

“Yeah, we actually got the results back last night, which was good,” Francona said. “… But it was also really good news for Carlos that it looks like he'll be ready for Sunday.”

Anderson optioned

The Indians knew they had to make a move to clear a spot on the 25-man roster for Jefry Rodriguez, who was announced as Wednesday's starter against the Marlins on Tuesday. But when Carrasco was sent for an MRI after the series opener against Miami, Francona decided to hold off until Wednesday to make the decision. When Carrasco was completely cleared, the team informed right-hander Cody Anderson that he’d be optioned to Triple-A.

Anderson has spent the last two seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery, and made his first appearance back in the big leagues on April 13 in Kansas City. In three games, Anderson logged a 5.40 ERA with five strikeouts and two walks in five innings.

“A little bit of rust, which I think is completely understandable,” Francona said, when asked what he saw from the 28-year-old. “Even by his own admission, the first couple hitters he faces, it takes him a little while [to get going] because he's used to pitching with pain and then there's not pain.

“But we saw the last couple innings of his last outing, he started to get a little rhythm going. He had his changeup back and he got his fastball velocity up there a little bit. Repetition will be great for him.”

Plutko nearing his return to Columbus

Adam Plutko has been sidelined since the start of the season with a right forearm strain. He has started to throw live batting practice and is about two weeks away from his return to game activity.

This date in Indians history

1961: Jim Perry held the Baltimore Orioles to one run in a 5-1 Cleveland victory, which also featured a Bubba Phillips grand slam.