The Cleveland Indians received some pretty bad news yesterday. The team had been crossing its fingers and hoping that outfielder Tyler Naquin had only sprained his knee after making a great catch before colliding into the left field wall in Tampa on Friday night, but those hopes were dashed when it was determined that Naquin had torn his ACL. Naquin will be sidelined for the rest of the season and will likely miss the start of the 2020 season too.
Entire CST Team is praying for Tyler Naquin! Amazing that he caught it! pic.twitter.com/ecicqrRUXU
— Cleveland Sports Talk (@CLEsportsTalk) August 31, 2019
Tyler Naquin’s catch robbed Tampa Bay’s Joey Wendle of at least an extra base hit (and possibly a home run), keeping Shane Bieber on pace to pitch a shutout through five innings. It wasn’t enough as Tampa Bay eventually won 4-0, but Naquin’s play helped keep the Indians alive.
Naq hung on.
Tyler Naquin never let go of the ball after last night's injury, and it's still in his glove.
Hoping for a speedy recovery and sending you a lot of well wishes, @TyNaquin! pic.twitter.com/lxyqGtTA5N
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 31, 2019
Cleveland’s social media team shared a picture of Naquin’s locker after the news broke yesterday. It’s been a frustrating last two seasons for Naquin. This is the fifth time the young outfielder has been sent to the Injured List in the last 14 months. In 2018, he missed time due to a strained left hamstring and a right hip strain, and he was on the Injured List twice earlier this year. In May, he went on the IL due to a knee injury, and in July he missed some time due to a hamstring issue.
Those injuries have sidetracked a promising career. Tyler Naquin burst onto the scene in 2016, finishing with a 128 OPS+ and coming in third place in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. However, he has played just 169 games from 2017 to 2019 due to injuries.
Naquin’s injury puts Cleveland in a tough spot entering the stretch run. The Indians are dueling with Oakland and Tampa Bay for the American League’s two Wild Card spots, and the three teams are within a game of each other.
H/T ESPN
