Kipnis dealing with mild shoulder strain, shut down next 4-5 days

The Cleveland Indians will be without their starting second baseman while he nurses a minor shoulder injury.

Jason Kipnis, who was scratched from Sunday's game against the Chicago Cubs, received a precautionary MRI and cortisone shot for his shoulder and will be shut down for the next four to five days, manager Terry Francona confirmed.

"If it was during the season, we wouldn't do anything," Francona said, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. "There's just so much time to get ready that, to just kind of put a band-aid on it now just didn't seem to make sense. When they went and got it imaged, it's considered a cuff strain, which I think in the grand scheme of things is about the least you're ever going to find when you go do that."

Kipnis was expected to serve as the team's designated hitter but suffered a strain to his rotator cuff during drills Saturday. The 29-year-old has dealt with shoulder problems in the past, so the Indians' cautious approach with their starting infielder seems prudent.

"I think from time to time he does feel it," Francona said. "I would probably say eight out of the 10 guys that are throwing, as they get their arms loose, you feel something. You throw through stuff and you get through the aches and pains of getting back. But then, when there's some history there, you just try to use good judgement."

While the injury isn't expect to sideline Kipnis for an extended period of time, his absence is still noteworthy. He appeared in a career-high 156 games last year for the Tribe and, as usual, was a key contributor. He combined to hit .275/.343/.469 with a career-best 23 home runs. He's also provided the team with 8.7 WAR since 2015.