CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Indians are preparing for life without Abraham Almonte.
It is one of the reasons why Brandon Guyer drew a start against Chicago right-hander Anthony Ranaudo on Wednesday night at Progressive Field. The other reason is that Guyer, who usually faces lefties, is the only player on the Tribe's 25-man roster who has faced Ranaudo, recalled from Class AAA Charlotte before the game.
"Guyer has two hits again him, and one of them is a home run," said manager Terry Francona.
The bigger reason is that if the Indians make the postseason, they're going to need a reliable outfielder because Almonte will be ineligible as part of the penalty he received for testing positive for steroids in spring training.