Corey Kluber out indefinitely, will not require immediate surgery on broken arm
The Cleveland Indians do not have a timetable for Corey Kluber’s return, but they know his broken ulna bone in his pitching forearm will not require immediate surgery.
Kluber sustained the injury after being struck by a 102.2-mph comebacker off the bat of Brian Anderson during Wednesday’s 4-2 loss to the Miami Marlins.
X-rays and a CT scan confirmed that Kluber suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right ulna. The Indians haven’t completely ruled out surgery as a possibility, but for now they will wait 3-4 weeks before re-evaluating Kluber's progress.
From MLB.com:
“The first week is really vital that he keeps it elevated as much as he can, keeps it away from getting jostled, so we’re not going to have him in the dugout,” manager Terry Francona said of Kluber’s status. “Because the last thing that we want to do is take something that is a non-surgical healing into a surgical. So, we need to be cognizant of that and respect that. After approximately three weeks, the cast comes off. We’ll see where the healing is and then what the doctors say moving forward he’s able to do.”
The Indians officially placed Kluber on the 10-day IL before Friday’s game. His absence, even in a best-case scenario, figures to be measured in months, not weeks.
A crushing loss
The 33-year-old right-hander has been one of MLB’s most valuable and consistent pitchers in recent seasons. He won the American League Cy Young in 2014 and 2017, while finishing top three in the voting in 2016 and 2018.
Kluber’s 2019 was off to a shaky start. He entered Wednesday’s outing with a 5.81 ERA through his first six starts. Despite that, he’s clearly one player the Indians cannot afford to lose. His loss shines a glaring spotlight on the team’s lackluster offseason.
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