Cleveland Indians ace pitcher Corey Kluber suffered a fractured forearm Wednesday night after being struck by a comebacker off the bat off Miami Marlins right fielder Brian Anderson. According to Statcast, Kluber’s pitch had a velocity of 90.6 MPH and had an exit velocity off Anderson’s bat at 102.2 MPH.
Bad news on one of the game's great pitchers. Corey Kluber has a fracture in his right forearm, according to initial X-rays, #Indians announce tonight. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) May 2, 2019
The Kluber Effect
Corey Kluber was off to a bad start this season. Kluber’s record was 2-2 in six starts going into tonight’s game. He has struggled with a 5.81 ERA and 1.68 WHIP, easily the highest of his career. Kluber left the game without attempting a warm-up pitch. The early diagnosis is a non-displaced fracture of the right ulna. Kluber will be re-evaluated Thursday.
BREAKING: Scans on Corey Kluber’s forearm showed a non-displaced fracture of right ulna. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow, then his timeline will become more clear. This could easily be an 8-12 week absence. #Indians.
— Inside Injuries (@InsideInjuries) May 2, 2019
The Indians Effect
The Indians going into tonight’s game are 16-13 which puts them in second place, two games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins. This injury could not have come at a worse time for the Indians. Mike Clevinger will be out until after the All-Star Break. Danny Salazar will be out for at least the whole month of May. The Indians currently have only three healthy starting pitchers in Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, and Shane Bieber. Kluber is not only the ace of the staff, but he is also the pitcher Cleveland counts on to set the tone. It will not be easy to replace the production of Corey Kluber.
The American League Central is not a very good division. Only the Twins are over .500. The Indians may be able to tread water long enough to stay afloat while they are waiting for their injured pitchers to get back on the field.
The Keuchel Effect
How long will it take before the “Dallas Keuchel to the Cleveland Indians” rumors start up? If there was ever a time and a team for Keuchel to sign with, the Indians could be it. With only three healthy starting pitchers and a former Cy Young pitcher with a playoff resume available, will the Indians be the team to finally take Keuchel off the market? This injury could now spark a bidding war for the services of Keuchel. Will Cleveland sign a new ace?
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