CLEVELAND -- Mike Clevinger has checked all the boxes he has needed to in order to start facing live hitters, but the Indians aren’t ready to send him on a Minor League rehab assignment just yet.

Indians manager Terry Francona said on Friday that Clevinger will leave for Arizona on Saturday to get some innings in extended camp before transitioning to the Minors.

“He’s good. He’s going to leave for Arizona tomorrow and for the next week to 10 days where we can control the ... I would say intensity, but that’s impossible,” Francona said. “But the length of innings, and we can set up games for him. And we can transition him to the Minor Leagues as we ramp him up.”

Francona watched Clevinger’s successful 35-pitch bullpen on Friday before officially determining the right-hander was ready to head to Goodyear.

The 28-year-old has been on the 60-day injured list since April 8, the day after he was pulled from his last start with an upper back strain. The initial news was that he’d be unable to pick up a baseball for six to eight weeks. But after already throwing multiple bullpens, Clevinger will begin facing live hitting approximately seven weeks after sustaining the injury.

Spending seven to 10 days in Arizona will mean the righty likely won’t begin his Minor League rehab assignment until the beginning of June. Whether he will be ready in time to rejoin the Indians on June 7, the first date he’s eligible to come off the injured list, remains to be seen.

Mercado sore after collision
As expected, after having a scary collision with center fielder Leonys Martin on Thursday, Oscar Mercado came in on Friday still feeling lingering effects.

“[He’s] moving around OK,” Francona said. “He’s trying to make himself available for later. I don’t know if that’s realistic or not. But he’s not worse off. I think we kind of figured he’d be sore today.”

Bauer searching for command
After struggling in his past three starts, Trevor Bauer has been working hard to regain command of his pitches, Francona said.

“He really works a lot, as we know, with weighted balls and things like that,” Francona said. “But this bullpen is going to be just with the baseball, just to try to get the feel of commanding where you want to throw the ball. His arm strength is off the charts, we’ve all seen it. For his size, the way he throws the ball ... I think the way [pitching coach] Carl [Willis] put it, we’re trying to get him back to some of the things he was doing last year because we may have veered away a little bit, and he was pretty [darn] good last year.”

This date in Indians history
2006: CC Sabathia tossed a six-hit shutout while striking out eight in an 11-0 win over the Twins at the Metrodome.