Indians option Cimber, call up Kyle Nelson

Right-handed reliever Adam Cimber’s submarine delivery has always invited questions as to whether he can have sustained success against left-handed hitters. The irony of 2020 is that Cimber was effective against southpaws in a limited number of opportunities (.445 OPS in 14 plate appearances), but right-handers torched him to the

Right-handed reliever Adam Cimber’s submarine delivery has always invited questions as to whether he can have sustained success against left-handed hitters. The irony of 2020 is that Cimber was effective against southpaws in a limited number of opportunities (.445 OPS in 14 plate appearances), but right-handers torched him to the tune of a .367 average and .567 slugging percentage.

On Wednesday, Cleveland optioned Cimber to the alternate training site in Lake County, Ohio, and selected the contract of left-hander Kyle Nelson. Jefry Rodriguez (right shoulder strain) was moved to the 45-day injured list to accommodate Nelson on the 40-man roster.

The Cimber demotion came after he allowed three runs on four hits in a combined two-thirds of an inning in the first two games of this week’s series with the Royals.

“I don’t see a lot of run on his sinker, which doesn’t separate his slider,” acting manager Sandy Alomar Jr. said. “The sinker normally goes east to west, he can open up hitters to wipe them out. But the fastball was not really sinking too much. He was too much around the plate, and they were making contact.”

The hope is that an adjustment to Cimber’s release point at the alternate training site can still allow him to positively impact the ‘pen before season’s end.

Nelson had a 2.28 ERA in 42 appearances across each of the three levels in the Minors last season. This is his first promotion to the bigs. His arrival gives the Tribe three lefties in the ‘pen, along with Oliver Pérez and closer Brad Hand. A 15th-round pick in the 2017 Draft, Nelson was a UC Santa Barbara teammate of Shane Bieber.

“We’ve been really good friends from the start,” Nelson said. “Obviously, he’s a year older than me. But when I met him, we became really good friends, and that relationship has continued on to pro ball. To be on the same team is awesome and then finally joining each other in the big leagues is cool.”