It hasn’t taken long for the battle between the Indians and Tigers this season to become bloody as Yan Gomes became the first casualty late in the game Saturday afternoon.
With the bases loaded, one out and the go-ahead run already in during the ninth inning, Terry Francona brought the infield in for J.D. Martinez. Playing first, Carlos Santana made a nice play on the chopped ground ball, throwing to home for the force out. With his foot on the front of the plate, Gomes completed the out, but a take-out slide from Rajai Davis hit his back foot, knocking Gomes to the ground. The play can be seen in its entirety on MLB.com.
After falling, Gomes was unable to stand back up and ultimately was carried from the field by the Indians trainers. This morning, he was officially placed on the 15-day disabled list a left MCL sprain and is expected to be out 6 to 8 weeks.
In his place, the Indians recalled two relief pitchers (Kyle Crockett was also sent to AAA) to help save the bullpen after a tough series, with Carlos Santana taking over the back-up catching duties for today. By Tuesday, another roster move will have to be made, likely to call up Brett Hayes. Since Hayes is not on the 40-man roster, this move may be preempted by a move of Gomes to the 60-day DL.
In his stead, the Indians are lucky to have the very capable Roberto Perez. Perez came out of nowhere last season, as the always reliable defensive catcher showed he also carried a bat, averaging .271 through 29 games in 2014. This year, he has already hit a home run and knocked in two in his only game, proving that the situation could have been much worse.
Even with Perez, the Indians are much worse off without Gomes, who won the Silver Slugger for catcher in 2014 (and was set to receive the award before Sunday’s game). An MRI Sunday showed damage to his left MCL and Gomes will likely miss most of the next two months. With this, a more permanent decision will be made by Tuesday.