Cleveland hopeful Terry Francona will return in 2022

Cleveland hopes Terry Francona returns for his 10th season with the team. David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland hopeful Terry Francona will return as manager in 2022

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 9/18/21

Terry Francona’s health issues have limited his ability to manage Cleveland over the past two seasons, but the organization sounds hopeful he’ll be able to manage in 2022 without issue.

Cleveland president Chris Antonetti revealed Saturday that the organization is still planning for 2022 with the assumption that Francona will manage the team, but he added that Francona’s rehab will be monitored during the offseason before a final decision is made.

Chris Antonetti: "With where we are right now, we continue to plan looking at 2022 with Tito as our manager."

Antonetti explained the team obviously needs to continue to monitor Terry Francona's rehab throughout the offseason and make sure he feels healthy enough to return.

— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) September 18, 2021

Francona has not managed a full season since 2019. He detailed the severe blood clot issues that limited him to just 12 games in 2020, and he stepped away after the first 99 games of 2021 to focus on his health and recovery. The 62-year-old also missed games in 2017 after undergoing a procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat.

Francona has managed Cleveland since 2013. He has a 736-581 record with the team and has led them to five playoff appearances.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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