Indians: Ben Gamel got optioned but the wrong player is replacing him

The Indians have finally optioned Ben Gamel to the Columbus Clippers, after starting the 2021 season disasterously. He’s currently only hitting .071, and was a massive liability offensively. So, obviously, that means that if he’s going down, that maybe Bradley Zimmer, Bobby Bradley, or Nolan Jones would get the call up to help facilitate the offense.

Nope.

Instead, the Indians called up a left-handed starter by the name of Sam Hentges, who is arguably the best pitching prospect the team has that hasn’t played in the majors yet. He’s very good, or at least, should be. The reason to call up a pitcher was explained as a way to help the bullpen after being exhausted by several bad outings by the starters.

While that’s a fair reason, the bullpen isn’t really in need of anything other than a few good outings by the starters. The lineup is what really needs help. The Indians are one of the worst offensive teams in the league, and that’s mostly because they’re relying on struggling hitters with no real track record.

Guys like Gamel, Jake Bauers, Austin Hedges, Amed Rosario, and Yu Chang are being asked to shoulder most of the work but are largely unknown quantities. Granted, guys like Jones, Bradley, and Zimmer aren’t any more of a lock to excel but at least they’re expected to be. That’s a big difference over what the Tribe is currently dealing with.

Sure, the struggles are exacerbated a lot by the struggles of Cesar Hernandez, Andres Gimenez, Jose Ramirez, Eddie Rosario, and Franmile Reyes, but that’s why you need nine hitters and not just a handful of good ones. Players are going to slump and struggle throughout the season, so you need to make sure those around them can help out when called upon. Right now, the lineup as a whole is struggling, and there’s no real support to help them.

Optioning Gamel was the right call, but worrying more about the bullpen than the lineup was not.