Francona: Kluber will be 'fine' by ALDS
The Cleveland Indians relied on one of the best starting rotations in baseball to secure their first division title since 2007 on Monday, but heading into the postseason they're without Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, and Corey Kluber because of injuries.
On Wednesday, manager Terry Francona calmed the minds of Indians fans, however, when he said Kluber is expected to be ready to pitch in the American League Division Series.
"It's not like he's in a wheelchair," Francona told reporters, including MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. "He'll be fine."
Kluber left Monday's division-clinching contest against the Detroit Tigers after four innings with a quadriceps strain, which he was diagnosed with after an MRI on Tuesday.
Cleveland announced Tuesday that Kluber should be ready to pitch in 7-to-10 days, which would put him in line to start either Game 1 or 2 of the division series.
Francona does want to see the 2014 Cy Young winner toss some bullpen sessions before making a decision on an exact date for his return. The skipper hasn't set a date for the sessions as of yet, though.
"Not until he's ready to do it," Francona said. "That goes completely on how he's doing. I would think he would be able to get a couple in, for sure."
Kluber has been exceptional for the Indians this season, posting an 18-9 record with a 3.14 ERA across 215 innings of work.