Terry Francona returns to Guardians, but there’s a catch

The Cleveland Guardians suffered a bit of a scare regarding manager Terry Francona. He was hospitalized earlier in the week and missed a couple of days. However, Francona is returning to the team, although he won’t manage just yet, according to Mandy Bell of MLB.com. 

‘Couple of updates: The Guardians have optioned Logan Allen to Triple-A and recalled Michael Kelly. DeMarlo Hale will manage again today out of an abundance of caution for Tito.'

DeMarlo Hale will manage the third game in a row as the organization keeps Francona out due to caution. 

Prior to Tuesday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, Francona was lightheaded and proceeded to go to the hospital. Thankfully, all tests came back and showed everything was fine. But, out of an abundance of caution, Francona will miss at least one more game. The temperatures in Kansas City have been scorching all week long, and Thursday’s game was set to hit 102 degrees, so holding out Francona for another game makes sense on both ends. 

The Guardians are headed to face the Chicago Cubs beginning on Friday, and there’s a chance Francona also sits out for that series with the Canadian wildfires causing a flurry of smoke in the air.

Francona has dealt with a number of health issues over the years, so his quick recovery and return are certainly promising for the Guardians and their fans. The Guardians managed to win the first two games of the series against the lowly Royals as Francona and his team try to stay alive in the American League Central.