Another day, another Cleveland Indians player to the injured list.
Oh, the team also lost two games Wednesday as well to make matters worse.
Before the games even got underway a slew of moves were made.
Unfortunately, the most notable was sending Eddie Rosario to the 10-day IL with an abdominal strain.
Roster moves by #Indians today: Eddie Rosario on 10-day injured list: abdominal strain. LHP Logan Allen sent to Triple-A Columbus. Josh Naylor (leg) transferred to 60-day I.L. Infielder Owen Miller, outfielder Daniel Johnson recalled from Columbus.
— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) July 7, 2021
Rosario has been struggling throughout the past week and had one at-bat Monday before leaving and ultimately heading to the IL.
Luckily, he is going at a time when the All-Star break is just days away.
A Smart Move To Rest Rosario
The Indians have now lost nine straight games with only four more remaining before the All-Star break.
So there was truly no need to throw Rosario out there if he cannot comfortably swing a bat or throw a ball.
Fans must also remember Rosario’s name will continue to be one in trade rumors ahead of the July 30 deadline.
He is on an expiring deal and while he had a bad start to the year, he has his OPS up to .685 and has driven in 46 runs this season.
This is not the same home-run machine fans saw in Minnesota, but he is still a proven veteran who could help a contending team in need of outfield help.
However, the Indians too need outfield help, making this an interesting situation.
Current State Of The Outfield
President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti says the belief is that Eddie Rosario's abdominal strain is "mild."
Antonetti added that beyond the knowledge that Josh Naylor won't return this season, it's still too early to put much more of a timetable on his return.
— Ryan Lewis (@ByRyanLewis) July 7, 2021
Rosario now joins Josh Naylor on the IL.
That means both corner outfield spots are up for grabs while several players compete in center field.
Harold Ramirez is safe in terms of receiving consistent playing time.
After him, Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado, Ernie Clement, and Daniel Johnson will be competing for time as well.
Maybe now is the time to call up Nolan Jones for good?
If the outfield shuffling continues, not calling up Jones simply makes no sense.
The Indians are in a weird spot because they could trade someone like Rosario without being traditional “sellers” in the sense it would not be a sign of punting on the season.
Instead, they could do so to add starting pitchers or to even just get some fresh faces on the roster at a time when Rosario doesn’t seem to be himself in Cleveland.
Or, as stated above, the Indians could trade Rosario and just let the young guys play.
Committing to that plan fully is better than having someone like Johnson go up and down between Cleveland and Columbus without any real sense of continuity.
Winning can help stop the impending panic and doom surrounding this team after the ninth consecutive loss.
But if the Indians go into the break with this losing streak intact, someone like Rosario could be on the move as soon as he is healthy enough to return.
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