Cleveland Indians third baseman Juan Uribe left Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels after being hit by a hard ground ball off the bat of Mike Trout. It is uncertain when he will be able to return.
Continue for updates.
Uribe Out vs. Royals
Monday, June 13
The team announced that Uribe will not play on Monday against the Kansas City Royals:
Uribe Taken Off on Cart
Sunday, June 12
Alex Curry of Fox Sports Net said the 106 mph ground ball from Trout hit Uribe in the groin, which resulted in his removal on a cart.
Uribe was 0-for-2 at the plate before he was taken out of the game for Tyler Naquin. Naquin went to center field, while Michael Martinez moved from center to third base to fill in for Uribe.
Uribe’s Absence Will Be Strongly Felt in the Field
Uribe, 37, has been in the league since 2001 and is batting .217 with two home runs and 13 RBI this year entering Monday’s slate of games. He played for the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets before signing with the Indians during the offseason.
He appeared for Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York last season and was with the Mets when they made the World Series, where they lost to the Kansas City Royals.
He is solid with the bat (.255/.302/.418 career slash numbers as of Monday) but is better known for his fielding at the hot corner. He’s accounted for 42 total defensive runs saved above average in his career at third base, per FanGraphs.
The Indians will likely turn to Martinez or Jose Ramirez at third base until Uribe is ready to return.
Martinez is only a .193 career hitter, but he does carry a .256 mark in 39 at-bats this season. Ramirez has been impressive for Cleveland in 2016 with a .303 batting average.
Both are versatile enough to play the infield or outfield, which gives manager Terry Francona options with his daily lineup even if Uribe misses time.
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