Indians could bump struggling Salazar to bullpen

Danny Salazar's outing Saturday against the Kansas City Royals could be his last start for awhile, as the Cleveland Indians may move their scuffling right-hander to the bullpen when Corey Kluber returns from the disabled list later this week.

Salazar, who owns a 5.50 ERA through 10 starts and issued a season-high five walks in Saturday's 5-2 loss at Progressive Field, would be scheduled to make his next start Thursday, but Indians manager Terry Francona said Kluber - on the DL since May 3 due to a back issue - will "likely" start Thursday, instead.

Rather than option Mike Clevinger back to Triple-A to accommodate Kluber, the Indians may bump Salazar into a relief role, though Francona wouldn't confirm that plan Saturday.

"I think we want to sit down and talk through things," Francona told Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. "We want to help him. We want to help our team. That's not the proper way to ever make a decision. We're not going to make the decision in here and you guys go tell him."

Despite owning the fourth-highest strikeout rate in the majors (30.9 percent), Salazar, an All-Star last year, has failed to complete six innings in each of his last five starts, and the 27-year-old has allowed a whopping 11 home runs in 52 1/3 innings (an average of 1.9 per nine) this season, too.

Since debuting with Cleveland in 2013, though, Salazar hasn't made a single regular-season relief appearance, and that's a streak he'd like to keep intact, he suggested.

"That's not in my plans, you know, but I have no choice," Salazar said. "I have to do it."