CLEVELAND -- Jo Adell tried on a pair of knee pads inside the Guardians’ clubhouse on Thursday morning, between packing up gear for Cleveland's upcoming six-game trip that begins Friday at Coors Field against the Rockies. All in all, it was an encouraging scene.
Adell sustained a left knee contusion in Tuesday’s 8-1 win over San Francisco. He was out of the Guardians’ starting lineup for the second consecutive game Thursday, for their series finale against the Giants. It doesn’t sound like he will be sidelined too much longer.
“I'm not really worried,” Adell said. “I'm gonna swing today, and hopefully be good to go in Colorado.”
Adell fouled a pitch off the inside of his left knee in the first inning on Tuesday. Remarkably, he belted a three-run home run three pitches later, which went a Statcast-projected 455 feet. It was part of a career-high six-RBI performance for the 27-year-old.
Adell remained in the game after that foul ball, but he got immediate attention from trainer Jeff Desjardins. He played six innings with no issues, but as inflammation began to sit in his joint, Adell noted it was difficult to keep pushing without losing range of motion. He was ultimately pulled entering the top of the eighth.
The Guardians and Adell have been working to flush the inflammation from his knee. He was unavailable off the bench in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Giants. There is a chance he could be available Thursday, but manager Stephen Vogt noted that a Friday return is more likely.
“[I’m doing] much better,” Adell said. “I'm looking to get active and start swinging today and get back. … I’m just trying to get some of that [inflammation] out, and should be back and rolling as soon as it's gone.”
Adell missing only a couple of games would be an ideal outcome for the Guardians (61-66), who entered Thursday 1 1/2 games behind the Twins (63-65) for the final American League Wild Card spot.
The Guardians acquired Adell from the Angels before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline and are counting on his right-handed power-hitting presence for the stretch run. We saw exactly how he can impact them on Tuesday.
“I’m just really excited about being here and being able to have a bit of a plan that I've been able to get at the plate with these guys,” Adell said. “I’m excited for more. We've yet to play our best baseball, but it's on its way, so I'm excited.”
DeLauter out of lineup again
Chase DeLauter was also out of the Guardians’ lineup on Thursday. He has not played since Sunday, when he exited a 5-0 loss to the Padres after two innings due to what the team said was “mild left hamstring tightness.”
DeLauter went through pregame baseball activities Wednesday, including on-field batting practice. He’s trending toward a return as well.
“Chase had a good day yesterday,” Vogt said pregame Thursday. “With the day game, we need to see how he's feeling today. We're hoping that he's available off the bench.”