Indians give updates on Pérez, Naquin, Tito

It’s been one week since Roberto Pérez was last behind the dish for the Indians due to a shoulder strain, and the backstop has already made quick progressions. Cleveland doesn’t have a firm timetable for his return, but after Pérez’s evaluation Tuesday morning, the club is more optimistic that his

It’s been one week since Roberto Pérez was last behind the dish for the Indians due to a shoulder strain, and the backstop has already made quick progressions.

Cleveland doesn’t have a firm timetable for his return, but after Pérez’s evaluation Tuesday morning, the club is more optimistic that his stint on the injured list — which began last Wednesday — won’t be too lengthy.

“Roberto is doing well,” said Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. “He’s actually going to go through some plyo activities and may actually throw today, depending on how he feels. And he may play catch. So he’s actually working out right now at Lake County. But he continues to feel better each day.”

When catching coach Sandy Alomar Jr. — who’s filling in as manager in place of Terry Francona for the series in Cincinnati — was asked about Pérez’s rehab on Monday, he seemed confident that the backstop wouldn’t miss a significant amount of time. Sandy León has taken the lion’s share of reps behind the plate in Pérez’s absence.

“I don’t think it’s going to take more than 10 days,” Alomar Jr. said. “I assume he’s going to continue to work out and stay in great shape. He works very hard.”

While Pérez continues to take large strides, outfielder Tyler Naquin may not be on the same track. Naquin suffered a hairline fracture in his toe after fouling a ball off his right foot in an exhibition game against the Pirates on July 20. He’s since progressed to simulated games at the alternate training site in Lake County, Ohio, but the team doesn’t see him as an option to activate off the injured list in the immediate future.

“I think, right now, we want to make sure we can get him as many at-bats and as many reps in the outfield as possible here over the coming days,” Antonetti said. “Hopefully, in a not-too-distant future, he can be an option for us to activate him. But it’s not on the immediate horizon. We don’t think it’ll be in the next couple of days.”

Update on Tito
Francona reported to Target Field on Sunday morning to prepare for the series finale against the Twins and did his daily Zoom call with media, but he had to return to the team hotel about an hour before first pitch with a minor gastrointestinal condition. He was evaluated at Cleveland Clinic on Monday and will have more appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday. The team expects to have another update on Wednesday afternoon.

Although Antonetti, out of respect for Francona, did not give many details, he did say that the club does not think Francona’s absence will be long-term.

“That’s not our expectation at this point,” Antonetti said, “but our first priority will always be Tito’s health and well-being and whatever puts him in the best position to be healthy and feel better. That will always take priority. But that’s not our expectation at this point, no.”

Francona has been battling a similar issue since Spring Training began in February. While he would much rather be with the team than sitting in a doctor’s office, Antonetti encouraged him to put his health first. And when that meant he’d miss the two-game in-state rivalry in Cincinnati, he certainly didn’t hide his feelings about it with his club.

“He’s not happy about it,” Antonetti said. “He understands it’s the right thing to do and he wants to feel better. That’s what we all want, is for Tito to feel better and get back to doing what he loves, which is managing the team every day. And hopefully that can happen in the not-too-distant future. He’ll be in a much better mood if we win tonight, I can assure you that.”