CLEVELAND -- Tyler Naquin packed his bags at Progressive Field on Saturday morning and then made the drive across Ohio to join Triple-A Columbus. When outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall injured his right calf in the Indians' game that night, necessitating a trip to the disabled list, Naquin got the call to head back north.
"The hope is that when he went back to Triple-A, he made some adjustments," Indians manager Terry Francona joked about Naquin's time spent on I-71.
Prior to Sunday's game against the Royals, the Indians officially placed Chisenhall on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right calf, which could keep him sidelined for four-to-six weeks, per Francona. The Indians' right fielder underwent an MRI, which was evaluated by the team's medical staff as well as by doctors in California, and the results indicated that Chisenhall injured the same area that proved problematic last year.
• Francona answers questions on Chisenhall, Naquin and more
Naquin, who was optioned to Triple-A on Friday to clear room on the roster for left fielder Michael Brantley's return, was recalled to replace Chisenhall's vacated spot.
During Cleveland's 1-0 loss to the Royals, Chisenhall injured his right calf while running down a fly ball off the bat of Cheslor Cuthbert for the second out in the second inning. Chisenhall remained in the game for the remainder of the top of the inning, but alerted the Indians' medical staff of the issue and was removed and taken for tests.
In seven games played this season, Chisenhall has hit .235 with a .675 OPS in 17 at-bats as Cleveland's primary right fielder. Last season, he was limited to 82 games due to health issues but had a strong showing, batting .288 with 12 homers and 53 RBIs with an .881 OPS for the Tribe.
Chisenhall, who was responsible for three of the first six outs behind Tribe starter Trevor Bauer, missed a few games in Spring Training with an injury to the same calf. Last season, the outfielder also spent roughly seven weeks on the disabled list between July and August with a strain of the same muscle.
"The way it was described, it was a mild strain," Francona said. "The way they termed it is four-to-six weeks until they think [he can] return to play here. We've seen before, that doesn't necessarily mean that's what it's going to be. It could be shorter. It could be longer. We're not going to slow him down, but we need to let it heal and there's steps along the way that he'll have to do."
With Chisenhall out, Naquin could split time with Brandon Guyer in right field, with Brantley in left, Bradley Zimmer in center and Rajai Davis as a backup for all three spots. For Sunday's game, Naquin got the start in right field and was slotted into the eighth spot of the batting order.
"He's going to get a chance to play," Francona said of Naquin. "And he's played here before and he's actually helped us win before. So, it's a nice opportunity for him. Hopefully, he can help us win a few games."