CHICAGO -- Indians manager Terry Francona’s decision to step away from the game for the remainder of the season was a last-minute call on Thursday’s off-day. The skipper didn’t even have a chance to inform his players in person because he needed to get to the hospital on Friday.

That left his replacement, bench coach DeMarlo Hale, with a speech to give before the series opener against the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

“Touched on some things and reminded them really the message that Tito has always preached about knowing who we are and what we expect,” Hale said. “It was really direct to the point and there was a message that was sent across, and also a message from Tito as well.”

The team boarded its flight to Chicago on Thursday without Francona. At that time, the players started to hear whispers that he wouldn’t be returning.

“Well, I mean it was kind of a quiet flight,” Hale said. "Some guys started to get wind of it, so I kind of let it sink in because even the coaching staff, as we were sitting there having general conversation, we started thinking about some of the adjustments that we might make.”

Cleveland has been through this process before. Francona was only able to manage a handful of games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season due to severe health issues that resulted in an ICU stint at the Cleveland Clinic. Because the club didn’t have a bench coach at that time (Brad Mills opted out of the season to be with family), the team turned to first-base and catching coach Sandy Alomar Jr. to fill Francona’s shoes. So, why did the Indians decide to go with Hale this time around?

“In talking to Tito, we wanted to do things as seamlessly as possible,” president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said, “and DeMarlo has been serving as the bench coach throughout the course of the season, and it was a more natural transition for him to assume those responsibilities and allow Sandy to continue to serve as the first-base coach, where he does such an extraordinary job.”

Even though Francona knows his team is in good hands, it wasn’t easy for him to make this decision. He said on Thursday just how badly he wanted to manage for the entirety of the 2021 season, but he simply couldn’t push his body any longer. And everyone he’s talked to has been able to feel just how hard it was for him to walk away.

“I spoke with him earlier and he wants to be here so bad, and be a part [of the team],” Hale said, “but I just reiterated to him and made him as comfortable as I can like, ‘Look, we’re gonna be all right. You set a very good foundation here. I understand how you use the personnel,’ and that’s why I wanted to get the message to the players that not a lot has changed or will change.

“There could be some situations that might be a little different that I ask some guys. That’s because the league doesn’t have tendencies on me on how I manage. I’m not saying that we’re about to go out here and be different, but I just want them to be aware that maybe our focus becomes maybe a little bit better.”