Indians: 1 prospect to call up, 1 veteran to demote

The Indians need to cut ties with one veteran in order to start a new era at first base.

The Cleveland Indians have opted for a platoon approach at first base to open the 2021 season. That has been true at several positions around the field.

Jake Bauers and Yu Chang have been holding down the job while Josh Naylor has received time at first as well. But this is one position where it is time to make a change and that involves calling up a top prospect.

Indians need to call up Bobby Bradley

Bauers beat out Bobby Bradley in spring training in a bit of a surprise move. However, the former being out of minor league options made the decision an easier one.

Bradley is a former third-round pick of the Indians back in 2014 and is only 24 years old. He made his MLB debut briefly in 2019 and had one home run in 15 games. He has 147 bombs in his minor-league career.

The 2020 season slowed Bradley’s potential rise to becoming an everyday player in Cleveland. This came after a promising 2019 season in Triple-A that saw him hit 37 home runs and post a .912 OPS.

The problem for Bradley has been the strikeouts. He had 20 in his brief 2019 MLB stint and had 153 in only 107 Triple-A games the same year. But it is about time he gets a full-time shot at the MLB level. He has been a top prospect in the system for some time and the current options are not exactly playing great.

Speaking of that, Bradley’s main competition this spring needs to be cut loose.