CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Indians are trying to get a message across.
First, they placed right-handers Zach Plesac and Mike Clevinger under a 72-hour quarantine for the coronavirus, after they broke protocols by leaving the team hotel Saturday night without permission. Tuesday, they put themselves on the restricted list, which is tantamount to a slap over the head.
It allowed them to activate outfielder Tyler Naquin from the injured list and select the contract of left-hander Logan Allen from the team’s alternative training site at Classic Park in Eastlake.
Plesac was secured by MLB security when he returned to the team hotel early Sunday morning. It is not yet clear how the team discovered that Clevinger accompanied Plesac on the night of Chicago. The Indians did not find Clevinger on Monday morning after failing to advance when he learned that the team had hired a car service on Sunday morning for Plesac to drive him from Chicago to Cleveland instead of taking him home with the team. to let.
Clevinger stayed with the team through Sunday night’s game against the White Sox and flew to their charter flight to Cleveland.
Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, said the team was not ordered by MLB to hold Plesac or Clevinger in quarantine because they did not believe they came in contact with anyone carrying the virus. They did it to be careful and send a message to Plesac, Clevinger and their teammates.
The message seemed to come through to Plesac. He apologized through the team after Sunday night’s game.
It also registered with Clevinger. He made this statement ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Cubs, a game he was scheduled to start:
“There is an implicit trust that each of my teammates shares as we navigate this season in this pandemic, and I broke that trust. In Chicago, I made the mistake of violating the protocols, but the biggest mistake of all was not immediately getting clean to my teammates. I owe her better. I realize now that I’m putting myself, my teammates, the guys I’m competing against, the umpires, the staff, the Native American organization and the game I love, risking myself by exposing myself to just one more person. then necessary. There is no excuse for my actions, and I can only take responsibility and learn from my mistakes. By moving forward, I promise that my actions will fully reflect an understanding of the established protocols, while continuing my passion for competing for the incredible Indian fans and the City I admire. ”
When asked about his talks with Plesac and Clevinger, manager Terry Francona said: ‘I think they are in different stages of understanding. I do not want to go into too much detail. . .I would just say that they are in different stages of acceptance. ”
Francona rejoined the team on Tuesday after missing eight games due to a gastrointestinal problem.
Antonetti said after his acquaintance Plesac and Clevinger were the only members of the organization involved. This has been confirmed by another source.
What puts Clevinger and Plesac on the restricted list, Antonetti said, ‘It’s not ideal, but as we said from the beginning, even if you go back to March 12 (when spring training was over) , we will continue to prioritize the health and wellness of our players and staff. Based on the behavior of Zach and Clev, we felt that they had an increased level of risk. We wanted to make sure we did what we could to protect the rest of our group. That’s why we’ll have them three days off the team and be tested. “
The Indians took similar action against Franmil Reyes during Spring Training II when he was pictured on social media without wearing a mask at a July 4 party. Reyes was not placed on the restricted list.
Players are placed on the limitation if they are unable to report to the team or perform due to their own actions, such as an arrest or drug suspension or other personal matters. Players on the restricted list do not count against the 28-man and 40-man rosters.
Plesac and Clevinger will pay their full salary and will be credited for service time if they are on the restricted list. They can get it off at any time, but the fact is that their own actions cause them to be placed there. It gives the Indians a way to recreate their roster with Naquin and Allen, while Plesac and Clevinger have no option. If they had the option, they would have to spend 10 days at Classic Park.
“It’s disappointing,” Francona said when asked about Plesac and Clevinger. ‘I still think that as a group our boys did an extremely good job. They have been extremely conscientious. This one kind of hurts.
‘We talked about it a bit today as a team. We will treat it as we always do. We care about each other. It does not mean that you are not disappointed in each other or even crazy about each other. As for me, it makes it better. . .not be fair. Just try to figure out how to make it better so that it does not happen again. ”
The Indian players wrote the code of conduct. Clevinger, himself, said she wants to keep the front office and coaching staff from any action she took against a teammate who wrote it. The players had nothing to do with Plesac and Clevinger being quarantined or placed on the restricted list. They could still take some sort of action against Plesac and Clevinger.
“Players can get together like they often do over the course of the season when different things happen and they chose to deal with it in the clubhouse,” Antonetti said. “To the extent that our players talk about this and decide that there’s something like a team that makes sense, it’s up to them to continue working with Clev and Zach.”
Said Francisco Lindor, ‘I have mixed feelings. We are all grown men. But at the end of the day, we all have to sit and look at ourselves in the mirror. It’s not about the person you see in the mirror, it’s about the other people behind you. It’s not about that one person in general, it’s about everyone around them.
“The family members behind us. The coaching staff, Carlos Carrasco, all players on other high-risk teams. We are now in a time of COVID and racism. . .that is a time to be selfless. This is when we have to sit back and understand that this is not about one person. It’s about your neighbors and your neighbors ’neighbors. It’s not specifically about you. ‘
A variety of face masks from Cleveland Indians are available online today. (Fanatics.com)
New Indian face masks for sale: Here you can purchase Cleveland Indians face cover for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a 3-pack ($ 24.99). All proceeds from MLB donate to charity.
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