A freak home injury has landed a member of the Indians' bullpen on the disabled list.
Right-hander Tommy Hunter suffered a non-displaced fracture in his back over the All-Star break when he slipped on his steps while carrying his son, manager Terry Francona announced Sunday. Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer has the details:
"He had a little mishap at home during the break," said manager Terry Francona. "He was carrying his child, missed a step and banged his back trying to protect his child.
"He called the trainers, but thought he'd be OK in a couple of days. We tried to protect him the last couple of days, but he was out there throwing Saturday and feeling it."
Hunter went for an MRI this weekend, which revealed the fracture. He's going to return to Cleveland to see a specialist, which will hopefully give the team a better idea of his timetable.
In 21 games and 21 2/3 innings this season, Hunter has a 3.74 ERA (128 ERA+) with 17 strikeouts and a 1.20 WHIP. The Indians signed him to a one-year deal worth $2 million after a multiyear contract with the Yankees reportedly fell through over health concerns. Hunter had hernia surgery over the winter.
With Hunter placed on the DL, the Indians recalled righty Cody Anderson from Triple-A. He's going to give the team a fresh long reliever following Saturday's marathon 11-inning loss to the Twins (MIN 5, CLE 4).
The Indians are 53-37 and 6 1/2 games up in the AL Central, though they've struggled a bit of late. Cleveland is 4-7 in their last 11 games.
