Sending Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac to alternate site isn’t enough

The Cleveland Indians are sending Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac to the alternate site.

Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac will head to Eastlake, home of the Single-A affiliate the Lake County Captains, where the rest of the reserve squad is training. The duo are being sent there after being reinstated off of the Restricted List on Friday. Clevinger and Plesac both made waves when they were busted for violating MLB and team rules by leaving a Chicago hotel to head out for a night on the weekend of the 8th and 9th

Plesac got caught the night of, while Clevinger lied and wasn’t caught until he traveled with the team back to Cleveland; after he had already exposed his teammates to potential risk by his own selfish actions. Clevinger released a non-apology after being caught, in which he never said he was sorry or actually apologized for his actions. Plesac, despite saying he was sorry in a statement, then released an Instagram video that showed him violating state law for operating a camera while driving, a city law for incorrectly wearing a seatbelt, and decided to downplay the seriousness of the situation by blaming the media and saying the CDC would approve of his behavior.

It did not have the intended consequences either, as manager Terry Francona called the video “disappointing”. It should be no surprise to anyone that the Cleveland Indians then shipped Clevinger and Plesac to the alternate site following their reinstatement.

More than likely this is an unofficial punishment. Fox 8 claims that both players will be paid and be given service time while they’re away at the alternate site. Their time at the alternate site could be for just the next away series, or it could be for the next month; no one is saying.

This isn’t enough though. If they’re going there to work and get paid, that’s simply not enough. Not with how Plesac has responded publically, Clevinger’s non-apology and now even family members of the team sounding off. Nick Francona, the son of Indians Manager Tito, weighed in on this situation as well, replying on Twitter by calling Plesac an “oxygen thief”.

"A few days ago I said that Zach Plesac should sit in timeout and shut the f*ck up until he can demonstrate he isn’t an oxygen thief. That still stands."

The former assistant director of player development for the Dodgers has not made a lot of local headlines during his father’s tenure as skipper for the Tribe, but apparently this is a situation where he felt strong enough to speak out. As he should, his father is a high risk for catching COVID-19 and isn’t in the best of health already.

This will only keep happening until the team makes a decision to properly punish, suspended, and fine the two pitchers. Until that day comes, expect this story to continue to rage.