MLB Rumors: Carlos Santana groin injury may be source of woes

Carlos Santana hasn’t looked great at third base for the Cleveland Indians, and his spot starts at catcher haven’t been much better, nor has his work at the plate.

Santana hasn’t placed the blame for his poor early-season performance on any injury, but it’s clear that he may be suffering in silence.

According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Santana was seen sitting at his locker on Wednesday night “with his left thigh wrapped. Reporters asked him about it and he said he had a sore groin but was going to play third on Thursday”

Santana did make that Thursday start, but it was obvious that the groin is causing him a great deal of discomfort at the plate, and squatting behind the plate for those starts in relief of Yan Gomes isn’t helping.

The transition to a new position is never an easy one, but a veteran like Santana would seemingly be able to assimilate much quicker than he has. If this turns into a long-term injury, it’s going to cause some serious lineup issues for manager Terry Francona.

How bad is it? Santana has had only two hits in his last 32 at-bats, giving him an .063 batting average since April 8. It’s a sure thing the Indians will need more production out of the third base spot than that.