As expected, the Cleveland Indians have recalled starting pitcher Cody Anderson from the Columbus Clippers to start today against the Kansas City Royals. In order to make room for Anderson, the Indians have also optioned outfielder Tyler Naquin.
Cody Anderson was initially sent down in late April in order to work on issues he was having in recent starts. In the majors this season, Anderson carries a 7.65 ERA and a 6.33 FIP. He has struck out just 14 batters in 20.0 innings while allowing 17 earned runs on 34 hits. Things did not go much better in his one minor league start, either -- he allowed four earned runs on seven hits in 5.2 innings.
Tyler Naquin has looked good for the Indians so far, but mostly in an unsustainable manner. He has drawn just one walk to 19 strikeouts in his 55 plate appearances, and his production has come with an inflated .486 BABIP. However, he also has 17 hits, including two doubles and two triples which equate to a wRC+ of 110, fourth best on the Indians among hitters with at least 20 plate appearances. Naquin will surely be back at some point this season, or in 2017 at the latest, but the everyday playing time in Columbus will be good for him, for now
With Naquin in the minors, Rajai Davis should be getting the full-time duties in center field against both right-handed pitchers and left-handed pitchers. To date, Davis has 38 plate appearances against lefties, and 41 against righties. As expected, there is a huge gap in his production against right-handers (.316/.366/.526) compared to southpaws (.194/.237/.278). Jose Ramirez is currently listed as the backup center fielder on the Tribe's depth chart.
First pitch for Cody Anderson and the Indians today is 4:10 p.m. -- they will be playing with a five-game winning streak on the line.