DETROIT — Cleveland Indians right-hander Zach Plesac will not need surgery after breaking the thumb on his pitching hand while yanking off his undershirt following a rough outing.
“Other than it being broken, it was a pretty upbeat visit to the doctor,” Indians manager Terry Francona said Wednesday.
Francona said Plesac, who is on the 10-day injured list, will be reassessed every seven to 10 days and is expected to begin a throwing regimen in three weeks.
“After that, there’s so many variables,” Francona said.
According to Francona, Plesac hurt himself while “rather aggressively taking off his undershirt” after Sunday’s start at Minnesota. Plesac started the game with three perfect innings, but gave up five runs in the fourth inning and was taken out with two outs in the inning.
Plesac is 4-3 with a 4.14 ERA in 10 starts. The 26-year-old Plesac was placed on the restricted list in August for violating team COVID-19 protocols.