The Cleveland Indians may not be struggling with a COVID-19 outbreak like other teams around Major League Baseball; however, they just lost one of their starting pitchers. Amid new league-wide protocols being issued and the St. Louis Cardinals dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak, Indians pitcher Zach Plesac has been sent home. The Indians starting pitcher was sent home after violating protocols.
Can confirm that the Indians sent home starter Zach Plesac after he violated team rules by leaving the hotel to go out in Chicago, as The Athletic reported. Cleveland has been extremely stringent with protocols, and this action is a warning to their players — and perhaps others’.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 9, 2020
During the team’s road stretch in Chicago, Plesac violated his protocol and left his hotel room to go out. He now finds himself as an “example” for how the Indians are going to handle this situation. They have sent one of their best arms back to be placed in quarantine, for violating this protocol.
In 2020, Plesac has made three starts, totaling 21 innings pitched for the Indians. In those three starts, Plesac has managed 24 punch outs, a 1.29 ERA, and a 0.67 WHIP while helping anchor down the rotation.
In the tweet above, ESPN’s Jeff Passan suggested that this could be considered a warning to other players not to violate the new league-wide protocols. As the COVID-19 ridden season continues, teams who are strict on these protocols may find themselves without certain star players.
