CLEVELAND — Put yourself in Carlos Carrasco’s cleats for a moment.
You’re one-fifth of a starting rotation recording historically sterling numbers, a group so adept at stymying opposing hitters that even the Indians’ oft-impotent lineup hasn’t proven to be an immovable anchor.
You also were diagnosed 14 months ago with chronic myeloid leukemia. You completed one of the more inspirational comeback journeys in recent sports memory. Reflect on the scene at Tropicana Field last September, when you couldn’t prevent the tears from tumbling down your face or your teammates from squeezing you tight in the dugout after your return to the mound.
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Now imagine your reaction when you learn that Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac, two of your rotation mates, snuck out of the team’s hotel in downtown Chicago over the weekend, the temptation teams have most vehemently stressed to their players not to cave to.
One night after Plesac’s misdeed went public, the Indians revealed that Clevinger was his partner in crime. Both will be quarantined and undergo daily COVID-19 testing. The Indians arranged for a car service to take Plesac back to Cleveland early Sunday.
Clevinger, meanwhile, returned to Cleveland on the team flight after the game Sunday night after participating in a team meeting earlier in the day.
“The Cleveland Indians will continue to keep the health and safety of our players, coaches and staff members as our top priority,” the club said in a statement Monday evening.
Carrasco is one of the most well-liked, spirited players in the sport. He visited cancer-stricken children in the hospital during his own battle. He earned the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award for his around-the-clock charity work. There isn’t a teammate in the Indians clubhouse who wouldn’t cite him as one of the most upbeat influences on the roster.
So, yeah, perhaps he’d accept an apology from Clevinger and Plesac and proceed with business as usual. But consider what the two jeopardized with one, swift hotel escape.
Yes, Carrasco could have opted out of the 2020 season. He never leaned that direction. From the instant spring training was halted, he was fixated on contributing to the team this year. There are protocols in place to protect Carrasco and other high-risk individuals in the organization. But those protocols are meant to be followed.
Just ask two of Carrasco’s teammates.
“There are common-sense situations, where you see things are packed, or going out to the bars and drinking. Doing stuff like that isn’t stuff that’s really important to us right now and shouldn’t be important to us right now. We’re given this privilege to be able to come back and play and given this short window to even play. It’s a good time now just to really buckle down and focus on what’s important and work toward something greater at the end of the season, and for these couple months, lock in and focus on what we have set for us at the end of the year.” — Zach Plesac, July 3
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“Having that trust in your teammates is a big thing. It’s a big thing on the field. If you feel your teammate doesn’t trust you off the field, how are you going to feel like he trusts you when you get between the lines?” — Mike Clevinger, July 30
This isn’t just about Carrasco, of course. Even if Clevinger and Plesac avoided the virus, even if they socially distanced from others and wore masks or face shields or beekeeper suits, they still violated the rules. And that’s going to relegate them to the sideline for the time being.
Ⓘ ⓚⓝⓔⓦ ⓐⓛⓛ ⓣⓗⓔ ⓡⓤⓛⓔⓢ ,⃝ ⓑⓤⓣ ⓣⓗⓔ ⓡⓤⓛⓔⓢ ⓓⓘⓓ ⓝⓞⓣ ⓚⓝⓞⓦ ⓜⓔ
❂ є∂∂ιє νє∂∂єя ❂ pic.twitter.com/nJB4iyTNpX— ❂ Mike 𝕊𝕌ℕ𝕊ℍ𝕀ℕ𝔼 Clevinger ❂ (@Mike_Anthony13) August 7, 2020
The Indians were already considering sticking Plesac in the bullpen or optioning him to Lake County since they don’t need a fifth starter until Aug. 22. It wouldn’t be surprising if Tyler Naquin assumed his spot on the roster.
Adam Plutko will slide into the rotation and pitch against the Cubs on Tuesday night, when the Indians welcome back Terry Francona, another high-risk individual, to the dugout. There will likely be other maneuvering as well, especially considering the club has two more off days over the next week.
Each team had to submit its own code of conduct to the league, an agreement every player supported that detailed how to safely navigate this hazy season. The Indians held numerous team meetings with health and safety slideshows and open forums in the ballpark’s club lounge in advance of the season. They held some more after the Miami Marlins’ outbreak. The Cardinals, another team beset by an outbreak, haven’t stepped onto the diamond in two weeks.
The Indians had hoped Franmil Reyes’ snafu at the start of summer camp — when he attended a July 4 party with no masks in sight, a breach of team protocol, which sidelined him for three days — would serve as the only necessary “teachable moment.”
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All they had to do is adhere to a set of agreed-upon rules for about nine weeks, instituted to protect players and coaches and the fragile state of the season.
Instead, here we are, three weeks into a 60-game season, with two-fifths of an all-world rotation dismissing the very rules they had previously championed.
(Photo of Clevinger: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
