CLEVELAND, Ohio — Guardians manager Stephen Vogt provided updates Monday on a few injured players, beginning with All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan, who has been sidelined since Friday with a sore back.
Vogt said Kwan is making progress and that he would participate in some “rotational exercises” prior to Monday’s series opener against the Twins at Progressive Field.
“They’re going to get after it pretty good,” Vogt said. “We should know more tomorrow on his timetable. But he is still day to day right now.”
Kwan was mired in a 1 for 31 hitting slump prior to Cleveland’s series sweep in Chicago last week, but was batting .385 with six walks in 19 plate appearances over his last four games prior to the injury.
Starting pitcher Alex Cobb, meanwhile, could be looking at a minor league rehab start prior to his return as he continues to fight through a blister issue on his middle finger.
Cobb, 36, is 2-1 in three starts for Cleveland with a 2.76 ERA since being acquired from the Giants at the trade deadline. Vogt said the next step for Cobb is to throw a bullpen session in the next couple of days and then, if things continue to trend in a positive direction, he could end up at an affiliate to test things out.
“We want to make sure he’s able to throw in games before we just throw him back into a major league game,” Vogt said. “We want to make sure that he’s feeling fully healthy. So, it’s day to day. There’s a plan out in place, but it’s still day to day to see how he’s feeling.”
Carlos Carrasco’s situation is less clear. Carrasco, on the injured list since Aug. 8 with a sore hip, threw three innings in a rehab start at Akron on Friday. He threw a bullpen session on Sunday, and told cleveland.com on Monday that he is waiting to see what his next steps will be.
Additionally, the Guardians provided a medical update on their No. 21 prospect, George Valera, who was injured last week when he collided with the outfield wall in Columbus.
Valera was diagnosed with a patellar tendon rupture and is scheduled to undergo surgery on Wednesday at Cleveland Clinic performed by Dr. Lutul Farrow. According to the Guardians, the typical return to play for this type of injury is 6-9 months.
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