A frustrating season for Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes has gotten worse after he suffered a shoulder injury during Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Twins.
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Gomes to DL
Monday, July 18
Per the Indians’ official Twitter account, Gomes will be out for approximately four to eight weeks with a separated AC joint, but surgery is not deemed necessary at this point.
Gomes was injured in the fifth inning of Cleveland’s 6-1 win against the Twins. He was running to first base when a throw by third baseman Eduardo Nunez pulled first baseman Kennys Vargas off the bag, throwing Gomes off a direct path and leaving him extending his leg far out to catch first base.
Initially, it appeared that Gomes had also injured his knee on the play. He took a tumble to the ground, landed directly on his right shoulder and was taken off the field on a cart with his arm wrapped in a sling.
The Indians are fortunate in that they had Roberto Perez, who is the primary backup catcher, in the minors on a rehab assignment ready to come off the disabled list. He suffered a broken right thumb on April 30 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Gomes’ injury is the cherry on top of a season in which nothing has gone right for the 28-year-old. He’s hitting just .165/.198/.313 in 71 games. He snapped a 0-for-27 skid earlier in Sunday’s game with a double before getting hurt in his second plate appearance.
The Indians have fared fine even with Gomes’ struggles, building a 6.5-game lead in the American League Central. The time away could help him clear his mind of things so that he can potentially return in time to help the team make its first playoff appearance since 2013.
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