Jason Kipnis injury update: Indians 2B out until May?
Jason Kipnis was already going to miss Opening Day, but now the Indians second baseman will be out a bit longer.
A right shoulder issue has bothered Cleveland second baseman Jason Kipnis all spring, and he eventually served a designated hitter in back-to-back Cactus League games nearly two weeks ago. Kipnis was ruled out for Opening Day a week ago, due to ongoing soreness in his right rotator cuff.
Kipnis got a second opinion his shoulder last week, but there hadn’t been any further news on his prognosis or of any change in his status. Until Sunday, that is.
According to Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal, Kipnis has inflammation in his shoulder and will be out for another 4-5 weeks. That pushes his return to late April now, and it’s possible he will miss the entire first month of the 2017 season.
After hitting just 15 home runs in 2014 and 2015 combined, due in part to injuries, Kipnis rebounded nicely last year with 23 home runs and 82 RBI while playing 156 games. He spent time on the disabled list in 2015 with a labrum issue in his right shoulder, so an issue now with a different part of the same shoulder has to be concerning for the Indians.
Fortunately, the defending American League champions have some options to fill-in for Kipnis.
The easiest move may be to shift third baseman Jose Ramirez to second base and then use Giovanny Urshela as their primary third baseman. Utility man Michael Martinez could fill the void at second base, where he played 21 games last season. But he leaves a lot to be desired offensively with a .242/.265/.316 slash line, one home run and four RBI over 99 plate appearances for the Indians in 2016, and his value in a multi-positon bench role shouldn’t be dismissed.
Erik Gonzalez made his major league debut last season, and if he earns a spot on the 25-man roster out of spring training he is a third option to replace Kipnis.
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Somewhere around May 1 seems likely to be Kipnis’ 2017 debut date, barring any further issues or setbacks with his shoulder. The Indians are surely hoping for progress and a recovery along the lines of the new timetable.