Cleveland Indians notes: Checking in with traded players; OF help coming

Sunday notes on the Cleveland Indians, checking in on traded players as well as the current state of the Tribe’s roster.

If there was an MVP award for the first 10 days of the season, Carlos Santana would be knocking on the door as the Tribe’s most consistent offensive weapon in a lineup that leaves a lot to be desired.

Santana knocked the walk-off winner against the Blue Jays in the series opener. In 31 plate appearance, Santana has reached base more than half the time .516.  He’s hitting (12), he’s walking (4) and he’s driving in runs (7). Plus, his value as a switch hitter can’t be understated.

Looking at players lost during the offseason, Edwin Encarnacion hasn’t done anything special with the Mariners. He’s batting .240 with an one extra-base hit (a home run) in 33 plate appearances. His lone homer has also served as his only RBI of the youngest season.

Yan Gomes is doing what what Gomes does with five hits and a walk in 21 plate appearances. He’s not blowing anyone away, but he’s not a waste of space in the Nationals’ lineup, either.

Yandy Diaz has, by far, had the best start of former Indians dealt during the winter. In 33 plate appearances, he’s knocked five extra-base hits. Two of those were home runs. Diaz had just one homer in 120 plate appearances in a Tribe uniform last season.

1. Meanwhile, Jake Bauers, who was basically flipped for Diaz, is off to a slow start. I know i’ve listed averages for  every player up tot his point, but it really makes no sense to look to hard at that basic stat since the sample size is so small. With that said, average does give tip us off on whether a guy has struggled out of the gate, or has been hot.

Bauers is batting .182. He’s got just one extra-base hit in 25 plate appearances. Despite his struggles, he’s growing on me…I’m not quite sure what it is. The Indians will need to be patient with him, though. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him optioned, because….

• Help is coming. The Indians didn’t sign veteran big leaguers Cameron Maybin and Carlos Gonzalez to wallow in Columbus all season. CArGO has an opt out date of April 20 in his contract, so chances are you’ll see him first, before someone like Oscar Mercado.

• Speaking of Mercado, the former Cardinals’ prospect  is going to play his way on to this team if he keeps hitting. However, he plays center field. Look for the Tribe to give him more time in Columbus so that he can a position he’s comfortable with on an every-day basis.

Current center fielder, Leonys Martin, isn’t off to a great start at the plate, but he’s someone who deserves a little more time. If the Indians continue to struggle in the outfield, I do believe Mercado will be called on to play one of the corner spots. CarGo and Maybin will probably get looks first, though.

• Francisco Lindor is expected to be out until May, as the official diagnosis is a “high ankle sprain,” according to Cleveland.com. If you follow football, you know those injuries last four to six weeks, and you aways better bet on the back end of that time frame. They can be nagging injuries if you try to play too soon.

Lindor injured his ankle playing in a minor league game March 27.

• And to bring it full circle, Trevor Bauer may have something to say about that 10-day MVP award. Bauer’s been superb, pitching 14 innings while only allowing one hit! He’s also struck out 17 while walking just one.