CLEVELAND (AP) – After hearing Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac explain their actions, the Cleveland Indians sent the pitchers to their alternative training site on Friday after the two broken team rules and Major League Baseball coronavirus protocol last weekend in Chicago.
Clevinger and Plesac traveled separately to Detroit on Thursday with their baseball equipment for an “open forum” meeting with the team’s team before the Indians opened a series with the Tigers.
Indian president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said after “the discussion” that he met with manager Terry Francona, general manager Mike Chernoff and decided that it would be best to put Plesac and Clevinger on the alternative training side instead of letting that they rejoin the team.
” We had a chance to meet as a small group and decided this would be the best course of action for us, ” Antonetti said.
So before the opening, the Indians activated Clevinger and Plesac from the restricted list and headed to Lake County.
It is a beautiful slide for right-handed and close friends, both of which are considered important pieces for the Indians. There’s no indication of when they might be back on the Cleveland roster. They must be at Lake County for at least 10 days.
” For the sake of clarity, this is in no way punishable, ” Antonetti said. ” This reflects and we think, ‘OK, seeing all that has happened, how do we gather the best team right now to go out and win games?’ And given what has happened and how people are feeling, we thought at least for now, this is the best thing for us to do to put our team in the best position to succeed. ”
This past weekend, the pitchers implemented the team’s code of conduct during the pandemic by leaving the team hotel and eating and walking with friends of Plesac’s and taking the risk of the virus.
While the Indians received a car service to take Plesac back to Cleveland, Clevinger flew home with the team, after not telling the Indians that he was out with his teammate.
Although both players have tested negative twice this week for COVID-19, the Indians are not ready to have them back.
Earlier this week, pitcher Adam Plutko said he felt betrayed.
” They got us wrong, ” Plutko said after Cleveland’s 7-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. ” They left for us. They sat here in front of your boys and said public things they did not follow through. ”
Antonetti was asked if there is still a hard feeling in the clubhouse towards the couple.
” We are all a family, ” Antonetti said. ” We spend a lot of time together. Sometimes there are challenges in families that you have to work through. I would use that analogy, as this one applies here. There are things that have happened over the last week that have been less than ideal and people have some thoughts and feelings about that. ”
Both Clevinger and Plesac apologized in the days following their misteps. On Thursday, however, the 25-year-old Plesac posted a six-minute video on Instagram in which he acknowledged the outbreak of team rape, but then blamed the media, saying he and Clevinger were inaccurately portrayed as “bad” human beings.’ ‘
Antonetti said he saw the video.
” I’m not sure Zach was able to convey what he intended to convey in the video, after he had a chance to talk to him afterwards, ” he said. ” I think if he had a do-over, he might have said things a little differently. ”
Francona also felt that Plesac could have chosen a better way to handle the aftermath.
” I was disappointed, ” he said.
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