Cleveland Indians news: Carlos Carrasco heading to the DL with hamstring injury

The Indians will place right-hander pitcher Carlos Carrasco on the disabled list after he suffered a left hamstring injury during Sunday afternoon's game against the Tigers in Detroit. (This per Terry Francona, as reported by Zack Meisel.) Carrasco was injured while covering first base during the bottom of the third inning; as he caught the ball and approached the bag, he stumbled and then went to the ground. He tried to get up, but was unable, and was eventually helped off the field by the team's medical staff.

The severity of the injury still isn't known (Carrasco was sent back to Cleveland and will undergo an MRI there), but it's obviously bad enough to sideline him for at least a couple weeks, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's quite a bit longer than that. A hamstring injury shouldn't be as serious as the knee originally that was originally feared, but we'll have to wait and see what the results of the MRI are before we know if this is bad or terrible news for the Tribe.

Since rejoining the starting rotation in August of 2014, Carrasco had posted a 2.98 ERA in 43 starts entering today, with 10.32 strikeouts per nine innings. He is one of the absolute best starting pitchers in baseball, and an extended stint on the DL for him would be a major blow to the team.

The Indians could go with a four-man rotation for the time being, if they want to; with two days off in the next eight days, they won't need a fifth starter until two weeks from today, on Sunday, May 8. Alternatively, they could move Trevor Bauer into the rotation and go with a five-man group instead. Presumably we'll learn more about Carrasco's condition and the team's plans for his absence tomorrow.