The Cleveland Indians will have the opportunity to assess Trevor Bauer ahead of the playoffs after all.
The team announced Wednesday that Bauer will start on Friday against the Boston Red Sox and will get a handful of innings under his belt, with a second start slated for Tuesday.
Bauer will start Friday vs Boston. Probably go a couple innings and Bieber will follow. He’ll start again on Tuesday vs White Sox.
— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) September 19, 2018
This isn’t a guarantee that Bauer will start in the playoffs, but it looks likely that they’ll have him despite a stress fracture in his leg. They’ve floated the possibility of using him out of the bullpen, but if he responds well during these trial runs, it’s entirely possible he’ll start after all.
Bauer was a Cy Young candidate before his injury, with a 2.22 ERA in 25 starts this season. He hasn’t pitched since August 11 due to the injury.
