Indians manager Terry Francona said Monday that Danny Salazar (shoulder) "is not going to be ready" for the beginning of the season.
Salazar has been dealing with inflammation in his right (throwing) rotator cuff since the beginning of camp. He's been able to long toss, and should be ready to throw off a mound within a week, but he'll still need to build up his arm strength and endurance but won't have enough time to do so before Opening Day.
Mike Clevinger instead will nab the final spot in the rotation, with Salazar spending his time not competing for a job, but rather, just getting healthy. Francona acknowledged that Clevinger is "going to be in the rotation" after the 6-foot-4 right-hander had six strikeouts over three scoreless innings in his spring start against the Dodgers. "We're looking for 'Clev' to have a big year," Francona said. "He's strong, and he should be able to be that innings-eater type pitcher."
Last season, Clevinger made 21 starts, owning a 12-6 record with a 3.11 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings. Clevinger moved to the bullpen during the postseason, but was always expected to start during the regular season.
Francona did not say when Salazar will pitch in a spring training game but said he could resume throwing from a mound in a few days.
"He is going in the right direction," manager Terry Francona said. "If he does that for a couple of days, then the next thing will be maybe throwing off the mound, which I don't think we're too far away from."
Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Clevinger and Mike Tomlin will open the season as Cleveland's five-man rotation. Tomlin could be the most likely to make way once Salazar returns.
