BALTIMORE -- Indians outfielder Brandon Guyer returned to Cleveland on Thursday after a four-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus hoping he would be able to rejoin the Tribe, but after an evaluation by the training staff, Guyer will be playing at least one more game with Columbus on Friday.
"He came in and worked out and got some treatment because he got [hit by a pitch] in the ankle ... it's like purple," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "But he's OK. He's a tough kid. So he's going to play right field tomorrow night and hopefully go nine innings. We are gonna kind of just go day to day with him, because I think he's really champing at the bit to come back."
Guyer got off to a slow start this season, batting just .182 before going on the disabled list with a left wrist sprain on May 14, retroactive to May 13. Guyer also started Spring Training with a tweaked hamstring that caused him to miss the first seven spring games, and Francona just wants to make sure that his outfielder gets enough at-bats before rejoining the team.
"That's part of why we want him to get a few more at-bats," Francona said. "And I get it. You want to come back. You care about your teammates, all that stuff. Because it's not like it's beneath him to play in Triple-A. I mean, this is a guy who got in a car and drove six hours so he could DH. But when guys miss time, they don't always come back and hit their stride. Sometimes they do, you just have to think the more at-bats they get, the better situated they are."
In Wednesday night's game for the Clippers, Guyer went 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Overall, in his four-game rehab stint, the outfielder has hit .300 (3-for-10) with a home run and two walks. He began his rehab assignment last Friday.
Worth noting
• The Indians signed five picks from the 2017 MLB Draft on Thursday, bringing their total to 15. Thursday's signees included Ernie Clement, Eli Morgan, James Karinchak, Jesse Berardi and Zack Draper. Clement is an infielder from the University of Virginia who was drafted in the fourth round. Morgan, a right-handed pitcher, was an eighth-round pick out of Gonzaga. Karinchak, a righty from Bryant University, was the Tribe's ninth-round pick. Berardi is an infielder who was drafted in the 10th round out of St. John's University. Draper is a left-handed pitcher who was drafted in the 30th round from the College of Idaho.
• Outfielder Michael Brantley, who is on the disabled list with a right ankle sprain, took batting practice with the Indians prior to Thursday's game against the Orioles. The outfielder is scheduled to do some running on Friday and is expected to have a relatively brief stint on the DL that would not require a rehab assignment. 
• Closer Cody Allen went back to Cleveland before Wednesday's game to be with his family, as his wife gave birth to a boy. Allen can miss three games on the paternity list, but Francona said there is a chance the closer will return on Friday since the team will be back in Cleveland. Francona told Allen to make the decision and to make sure his family comes first.
• Outfielder Abraham Almonte was hitting leadoff for Columbus on Thursday night as the designated hitter. It was his first rehab game since June 14. In his first five games of his rehab assignment, Almonte hit .333 (5-for-15) with a home run and two RBIs. The outfielder was placed on the 10-day disabled list on May 16 with a right biceps strain.