Indians place Yan Gomes on disabled list with concussion

The Indians have placed Yan Gomes on the 7-day disabled list with a concussion, which he suffered on Thursday in Minnesota, when a pitch deflected off a batter and struck Gomes in the mask. He stayed in the game (and even nailed the base runner on a stolen base attempt), but he soon felt nauseous, which is one of the first signs of a concussion, and was pulled from the game.

Gomes sat out Friday night's series opener back home against Houston, and the team hoped he'd be ready to return Sunday afternoon, but whatever tests he was put through must not have come back as cleanly as he/they/team doctors would have liked.

Gomes has been one of the two or three best players on the team this season, batting .284/.324/.477, with 17 home runs, and (after a rough April) very good defense behind the plate. He will be eligible to return on Thursday, though of course that will depend on whether or not he is medically ready to return at that point. It's tough losing such a good player, even for only a week, but concussions are no joke, and Gomes' longterm health and ability to help the team are far more important than a few games this month.

Roberto Perez will start in Gomes' absence, with Carlos Santana being the backup for now. I have to think Santana would only play there in an emergency though, despite his years of experience with the position, because the last time he was back there, he was concussed, and he's done far better as the team's first baseman.

The Indians have not yet called anyone up to take Gomes' place on the 25-man roster.