Indians: Shane Bieber and his injury will force Terry Francona to be creative

Terry Francona will have to get creative with the Indians after the injury to Shane Bieber.

Shane Bieber is out for two weeks with a shoulder strain. The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Indians, who are already dealing with a wildly inconsistent and injury-plagued starting rotation. Losing Bieber right as the summer is kicking off was about the worst possible situation the Tribe could find themselves in. It’s also the perfect opportunity for Terry Francona to show his prowess as a manager.

Francona is often seen by baseball media as one of the best managers in the history of the game, and for good reason. His list of accolades is as long as it is impressive, yet there are some in Cleveland that actually have taken umbrage with Francona, despite the fact he’s easily been one of the greatest managers of all time.

More so than that, the Indians have yet to have a losing season with Francona as their manager. Tribe fans have become spoiled to the success of the team under Francona that they forget the team went nearly a decade with just one playoff run to their name.

Kyle Nelson will replace Bieber in the rotation for now.

The Indians are still competitive despite the rash of injuries.

The Indians have been ravaged by injuries and poor performances. Franmil Reyes is currently 10th in All-Star voting for DH’s but won’t make the team due to his untimely injury. Joining him on the DL is the second-best starter the Indians have in Zach Plesac, the Tribe’s top catcher and best defensive player in Roberto Perez, and Indians power hitter Jordan Luplow.

These injuries have stretched the Tribe thin, plus down seasons from Logan Allen, Triston McKenzie, and even Plesac have all underperformed so far. It’s leaving the Tribe in an unfortunate position because their Triple-A team, The Columbus Clippers, have been depleted of just about all usable or ready talent.

A by-product of the massive trades the team has done over the years. The Tribe still have impressive minor leaguers but they’re in Single and Double-A and aren’t ready for the pros just yet. The lone name that may soon see the starting lineup is Nolan Jones but he’s only hitting .214 at the moment.

That doesn’t help the rotation either, and as of right now, there appears to be no help coming until Bieber and Plesac get healthy.