HOUSTON — Mike Clevinger could be ready to begin playing catch sooner than expected, according to Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona.

Clevinger, who exited his April 7 start against Toronto with upper back tightness, was diagnosed with a high grade strain of the teres major muscle later that week and faced a reported two-month recovery time if he elected to avoid surgery.

He was spotted prior to Friday’s game at Minute Maid Park shagging fly balls during batting practice in center field, making running catches to his backhand side and flipping the balls underhanded into the seats in left field.

Francona said Saturday that the reason Clevinger has traveled to Houston with the Indians on their current road trip is because he’s doing so well.

“At some point here, they’re probably going to let him start playing catch,” Francona said. “I don’t know that they have a day yet in mind, but I don’t think it’s too far off.” That’s great news for the Indians, who moved Clevinger to the 60-day disabled list on April 14 to make room on the 40-man roster for Carlos Gonzalez. The move was retroactive to April 7, meaning Clevinger is not eligible to come off until June 6.

Francona, who told reporters April 9 that it would be 6-8 weeks before Clevinger even picked up a baseball, says team doctors have to sign off before anything moves forward and the right-hander begins playing catch.

“I think it’s a possibility,” Francona said. “But he’s doing pretty well.” Regardless of when a throwing program could begin, Francona said Clevinger’s presence around the team on the road has been positive.

“He actually really missed being around the guys, and just being in uniform during the game has been really good for him,” Francona said. “He just seems so much more upbeat when he’s around the guys. And I think the way he’s healing is giving him a lot of encouragement. This isn’t gonna be all year.”

Day off for Frankie, sort of: One night after crushing a pair of home runs in a 6-3 Indians win against Houston, Francisco Lindor was not in Francona’s lineup against Astros righty Brad Peacock.

When informed by Indians bench coach Brad Mills that he was getting a day off, Lindor predictably tried to talk his way into playing.

“Cherney (GM Mike Chernoff) was sitting here and I said ‘I give Frankie two minutes and he’ll be in here,’” Francona said. “It was about a minute and a half.”

Francona stuck to his guns and didn’t start Lindor, but acquiesced in the seventh inning when he sent Lindor to the plate as a pinch hitter for catcher Kevin Plawecki. He delivered an RBI sacrifice fly to left, but was substituted out for Roberto Perez after the one at-bat.

“He’s trying to find his timing,” Francona said. “But I’ve got to live up to my word. I told the trainers that we’d do this and if he went out and got hurt, man, I’d feel (bad).”

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