The Cleveland Indians sent one shortstop to the New York Mets this offseason and got two in return.
Francisco Lindor was sent to the big city and both Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario headed to Northeast Ohio.
Gimenez had beaten out Rosario late last season and appeared to win the starting job for the Indians in spring training.
But so far, fans are seeing plenty of Rosario as well.
That remains true Tuesday as the Indians look to get a hit against Carlos Rodon.
Our lineup on this #DogeDay. 🚀#OurCLE pic.twitter.com/o4FUb5Kdwf
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) April 20, 2021
So will this trend continue all season?
Amed Rosario Playing Two PositionsÂ
The shortstop position is interesting because Rosario’s playing time may be determined by how Jordan Luplow performs at the plate.
Rosario may get less time in center if a natural outfielder is playing better.
Thus, center field and shortstop are two positions now intertwined.
Luplow has been looking great early on and that resulted in Ben Gamel being sent down to the alternate site.
Amed Rosario reflects on the skill of always being ready and the trust he's earned from Terry Francona.#OurCLE | @DreKnott pic.twitter.com/3VkUryxL7k
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) April 14, 2021
If Luplow keeps it up there is no reason why he should be sent to the bench for any sort of platoon role.
He and Rosario are both right-handed batters so if both are raking, Gimenez may be the odd man out.
However, Rosario is only batting .200 on the young season.
Figuring Out Andres Gimenez’s Role
Gimenez should be the shortstop of the future, for now.
Tyler Freeman and Gabriel Arias are two young studs behind him in the organization just waiting for an opportunity.
Having this surplus at the position is great for the team, but does put pressure on Gimenez to perform.
The young shortstop has appeared in 12 games so far this season and does have a solid OPS of .797.
He is also still only 22 years old and 2021 will be his first full MLB season.
Normally, the Indians may have stashed a player like Gimenez in the minors to start the season to add an extra year of team control.
But having so much depth at the position made such a move pointless.
The team needs to see what Gimenez can do and adding one extra year down the line may not even be necessary if Arias or Freeman could eventually take his spot.
A Platoon For Now
Francona going with a platoon for now works just fine.
We are still early in the season and the organization needs to figure out full-time roles at several positions.
Gamel losing his job was just the start of the changes that will be made this season.
Easing Gimenez into action may also help his confidence at the plate.
This also allows the Indians to see what they have in Rosario.
His name came up in trade rumors during the offseason and that should still be the case up until the trade deadline this summer.
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