Cleveland Indians: 6 potential starting pitcher options after Plesac injury

The Cleveland Indians are finding gout how the adage of finding more pitching, even if you think you have enough pitching, became one of the most repeated phrases in baseball.

The Indians are bringing back Triston McKenzie, a player who was demoted not even a week ago, because Terry Francona is desperate for someone to eat up innings following the bizarre finger injury to Zach Plesac.

Plesac fractured a finger while taking off, while, reportedly, aggressively taking off his shirt. He banked his hand against a chair, and now the Tribe has just two starters the team can count on to deliver a consistent start.

McKenzie entered the year with high hopes, but his inability to develop another pitch other than his fastball has haunted him. He’s one of the hardest hit pitchers in baseball, and while he can still strikeout a nice number of batters, there’s no guarantee he’ll make it through three innings.

Now the Tribe will lean on bullpen games out of necessity. I’m not sure how long they’ll be able to employ this strategy, so here’s a look at some internal options to fill some starting spots throughout the next few weeks.

Cleveland Indians starting options

1. Jean Carlos Mejia: He’s already been promoted and picked up his first win in the series opener against the Tigers, pitching a scoreless sixth against the Tigers during Cleveland 6-5 win.

With Plesac starting, Mejia is almost guaranteed to start a game somewhere along the line.

At Triple-A Columbus, Mejia had made two starts, while striking out 10, walking five and totaling a 2.0 in nine innings of work.

2. Cal Quantrill: The former Padre farmhand certainly has a future as a starter, but he currently has an invaluable role with the Tribe in that he’s the one guy Terry Francona can count to pitch in long relief.

With young starters unable to get past the third on some nights, Quantrill is proving his worth.

Quantrill’s appeared in 16 games and has posted a 1.90 ERA. He has 16 strikeouts against 11 walks over 23.2 innings.

With Zach Plesac going on the DL, I don’t know how Quantrill doesn’t get a chance to start now.

3. Scott Moss: I am not Scott Moss’ grandmother, but you might think otherwise the way I’ve championed him since he joined the club in the deal that sent Trevor Bauer to Cincinnati in 2019.

Moss was thought of as a fifth starter candidate in Spring Training…but was ultimately won the of the first starting candidates to be ticketed for Columbus.

I don’t think the Indians believe Moss is ready, because if he was, he’d be here. His minor-league season is just three starts old. He’s 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. He has six walks in 8.0 innings of work, contributing to a 1.50 WHIP. Not good.

4. Logan Allen: Another former Padre was one of the biggest disappointments of the early season because he looked like he’d be the next minor leaguer to ascend to great things with the Tribe back in Spring Training.

He was stellar throughout March–but then the season started. Allen got shelled often, posting a 1-4 mark. He surrendered seven homers in 15.2 innings.

Unfortunately, his big-league return doesn’t look to be on the horizon. He’s 0-2 with a 14.66 ERA at Triple-A Columbus. He has a 2.40 WHIP though 11.2 innings. Ouch!

5. Eli Morgan might be the name to remember here, although he still needs more time to develop. The 2017 draft pick reached Triple-A in 2019, closing out the season with the Clippers, pitching a total of 5.0 innings.

Then, 2020 happened, so Morgan is back in the Cap City. He has 13 strikeouts in 13.2 innings, but he’s also issued 8 walks.

6. Kirk McCarty: For what it’s worth, the best starter at Columbus with at least three starts has been Kirk McCarty, a 2017 seventh-round pick. He has 14 strikeouts against just five walks in 23.2 innings. He’s 3-0 with a 2.66 ERA. Prior to 2021, McCarty had last appeared at Class A Lynchburg in 2019.