Last season, he hit just .208 with eight homers and 42 RBIs in 97 games. Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Nick Swisher is not expected to be ready for Opening Day on April 6, Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona said Monday.
“It’s probably a little bit of a reach to think he’d be ready, I think even in his own mind,” Francona said. “But, we really haven’t discussed it, because we want him to be healthy and we’ve kind of just been going off his schedule and how he looks and how he progresses. We’ll continue to do that.”
Swisher underwent surgery on both knees in August. On Sunday, he shed the braces he had been wearing since September and ran the bases. He put them back on for a minor-league intrasquad game Monday.
He will run bases again Tuesday. If he suffers no setbacks, Swisher is expected to serve as designated hitter in a minor-league game this week. The Indians want him to play DH and right field this season.
“Then, we’ll kind of start setting out a schedule (for games),” Francona said. “When he’s in the minor-league game, you can pinch-run or, if he hits a ball in a gap and he doesn’t run, it’s not like he’s in a stadium. So, he can gradually increase the intensity of what he’s doing.”
Swisher, 34, is entering the third year of a four-year, $56 million contract. Last season, he hit just .208 with eight homers and 42 RBIs in 97 games.
