Cleveland Indians: Carlos Santana Will Soon Play In The Outfield
By Ryan Rosko
The Cleveland Indians are experimenting again in the outfield.
Optimism and hope hovers over the Cleveland Indians‘ outfield. Of all the areas on the diamond, that part may be the most concerning.
Cleveland is mixing and matching their outfield and that will continue as the season progresses. Left fielder Michael Brantley is getting back into the swing of things and center fielder Tyler Naquin is continuing to make progress.
Yet, due to injury past and inconsistent play respectively, both players must keep an upward trajectory in terms of improvement.
As Cleveland looks to improve their outfield, fans will soon see a familiar face back there.
According to The Athletic’s beat writer T.J. Zuppe, the Indians will play 1B/DH Carlos Santana in the outfield versus the Arizona Diamondbacks.
If all goes well, Santana could be seen back there more often. Given the situations in left and center, I expect Santana to play in right field when he plays the outfield. However, if Brantley needs a day off in Arizona, Santana could then be an option in left.
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Is Santana the most logical and preferred option to play in the outfield? No, but he has played there in the past., more so in the minor leagues.
Who knows, perhaps Santana surprises some people when he plays the outfield. Santana is not going to be a regular player in one of the outfield spots as he has been and will continue to split time at first and DH.
Still, Santana is a key piece on offense. So, any way Cleveland can use him in the lineup I will support unless he really struggles.
If everything works out with Santana in the outfield, Cleveland will benefit from that in more ways than one. Among the ways include the fact that he could be a spot starter until Lonnie Chisenhall returns, along with Jason Kipnis.
Why Kipnis? After he gets back, third baseman Yandy Diaz will have to play somewhere and Chisenhall is not necessary the best option. I explained recently more why that is the case here.
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Santana is not the greatest athlete as we won’t see many web-gems. On the other hand, he will do enough to provide a solid job. Don’t be surprised especially for rest purposes if we see Santana in right or left every so often as the 2017 plays out.