The Cleveland Indians were exposed to a scary scene on Friday night when Tyler Naquin crashed into the left field wall trying to rob Tampa Bay's Joey Wendle.
Naquin made the catch, but he lay in a heap on the warning track and would eventually have to be carted off the field:
Entire CST Team is praying for Tyler Naquin! Amazing that he caught it! pic.twitter.com/ecicqrRUXU
— Cleveland Sports Talk (@CLEsportsTalk) August 31, 2019
According to Marc Tomkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Indians have received an initial diagnosis that Naquin suffered a right knee sprain:
#Indians say it's a right knee sprain for Naquin, which would be good news if that's all it is given how bad it first looked.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) August 31, 2019
Naquin looked like a promising piece of Cleveland's future when he finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2016, but injuries and poor performances over the next two following seasons mitigated the hype.
The 28-year-old got off to another slow start in 2019, but showed signs of busting out in May while hitting five homers and slugging .517 in June.
July was the turning point, as Naquin slashed .387/.418/.661 with three homers and 12 RBI, and he suddenly looked like the kind of player that would help the Indians run down the Twins in the American League Central.
Cleveland's lack of outfield production has been a topic of discussion for the past few seasons, but their resurgence this season has been possible in part because of the play of guys like Naquin, Oscar Mercado and Jordan Luplow.
The Indians have fallen 4 1/2 games behind the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central, but they are still in pole position in the Wild Card race.
However, injuries to Jose Ramirez and now Naquin are threatening to derail their season as they enter the final month.
Follow Us
Subscribe