Kipnis likely to miss start of season with rotator cuff strain

The Cleveland Indians will likely be without second baseman Jason Kipnis to start the season, manager Terry Francona told reporters Sunday, as the two-time All-Star has been shut down for the next two weeks due to a strained right rotator cuff and probably won't be ready for Opening Day.

"Well, if he's shut down for two weeks, that's almost Opening Day right there," Francona said, according to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. "I'd say probably not.

"Hopefully, after these two weeks they completely knock it out, which would be great. That's why they're doing it. And then they can let him ramp up and if he's healthy he can ramp up quickly. But that's probably a stretch right now."

Kipnis, who received a cortisone shot in his right shoulder Feb. 25, recently admitted that it hurts when he throws, and though he was able to get into his first couple Cactus League games earlier this week as a DH, the 29-year-old has no idea when he'll be able to play second base.

With Kipnis expected to miss the beginning of the season, the Indians will likely have Jose Ramirez take over at second base in the interim, with Giovanny Urshela slotting in at third.

Last year, as the Indians surged to their first pennant since 1997, Kipnis enjoyed another fantastic season, putting up 4.8 WAR while smacking a career-high 23 homers with 15 stolen bases and an .811 OPS (117 wRC+) over 156 regular-season games.