Mike Clevinger to start for Indians on Wednesday after demotion
Right-hander Mike Clevinger is out of Cleveland's doghouse. How long he and/or fellow starting pitcher Zach Plesac remain with the organization is yet to be seen.
The Indians confirmed that Clevinger will take the bump on Wednesday for the series finale against the division-rival Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Clevinger hasn't pitched since an Aug. 5 outing against the Cincinnati Reds, while Plesac remains relegated to Cleveland's alternate training site, per Mandy Bell of MLB.com:
Clevinger and Plesac were both demoted after they violated MLB health and safety protocols and went out for a social dinner in Chicago following Plesac's start at the White Sox on Aug. 8. Plesac reportedly further damaged his cause within the organization when he took to Instagram to blast media members for their coverage of the story.
He has since deleted that post.
MLB insider Jon Morosi believes the Indians may be shopping Clevinger ahead of Monday's trade deadline:
As ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote on Aug. 17, reliever Oliver Perez threatened to opt out if Clevinger and Plesac were permitted to return to the roster minus a demotion or other punishment. All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and righty Adam Plutko also voiced disappointment and anger over the pair potentially exposing teammates to the coronavirus.
"They lied to us," Plutko told reporters. "They sat here, in front of you guys, and said things publicly that they didn't follow through on. It's gonna be up to them. It really is."
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