Cleveland Indians are holding out hope after Oscar Mercado leaves game

The Cleveland Indians Oscar Mercado dove for a ball and apparently hurt his wrist in the fourth inning of Thursday’s game against the San Francisco Giants.

The Cleveland Indians are already banged up and aren’t looking for more holes to fill during Spring Training. The team got another name added to the injured list when center fielder Oscar Mercado dove to take away an Alex Dickerson hit, but caught his wrist underneath him, causing him to leave the game. The team has said Mercado has a sprained wrist but will be re-evaluated Friday when they can get him looked at by a doctor and have his wrist properly tested.

The depth of the team’s outfield isn’t exactly weak, but there aren’t many center fielders on the team that can play as well as Mercado on defense and hit as well as him. Sure, Bradley Zimmer and Tyler Naquin could fill in, assuming both still have the speed they had before their injuries. For Naquin, he seems like an adequate option assuming he’s healthy, he just needs an opportunity. For Zimmer, it’s about him developing into the player he was always supposed to be.

Another option is Delino DeShields, one of the pieces in the Corey Kluber trade, could also fill in, but not at the same level as Mercado offensively. Offensively he’s not on par with the other potential options in the center field, but he’s arguably the best option defensively.

The team will hopefully get Mercado back soon, and the need to replace him long term won’t be an issue to worry about. We’ll find out more on Friday.