Indians news: Francisco Lindor promoted to Triple-A Columbus

Top prospect Francisco Lindor has been promoted by the Indians to Triple-A, the team announced Monday night.

Lindor recently played in the MLB Futures Game and the Double-A All-Star Game. He is one of the most highly rated prospects in all of baseball, with top marks for his defense and his character. Scouts expect his bat to play as above average at the MLB level too. In 87 games for Double-A Akron this season, Lindor hit .281/.356/.393, with 6 home runs (after hitting only 2 last year) and 25 stolen bases.

August Fagerstrom of the Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio.com) was covering the RubberDucks tonight, and caught up with Lindor. When asked what he has to prove at the next level, Francisco said:

"Absolutely nothing. I just need to play my game and have fun."

Asdrubal Cabrera left tonight's game less than an hour before this move was announced, but Cabrera left because he strained something, and Lindor's promotion had already been decided on, there is no connection between the two, and this move does not mean Cabrera is being traded tonight.

This is a move many of us expected, because it was shortly after the All-Star break last year that he was promoted from Carolina to Akron. It would not be a surprise to see him get called up to Cleveland in September, after the rosters expand, and once enough games go by in 2015 for it not to count as a full year of service time, Lindor should be the Tribe's starting shortstop, hopefully for more than a decade.

In the meantime, if you're in the Columbus area, clear you schedule and head to the ballpark!