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Mike Clevinger will join his teammate and friend Zach Plesac in self-quarantine following today’s news that he, too, left the team hotel in Chicago over the weekend and violated safety protocols.
As a result, Clevinger’s slated start on Tuesday will be made by Adam Plutko, who last pitched in an inning of relief on August 6.
Cleveland Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger went out with teammate Zach Plesac in Chicago on Saturday night in violation of team protocol, sources tell ESPN. Clevinger was scratched from his scheduled start Tuesday against the Cubs and will quarantine. He flew with the team Sunday.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 10, 2020
The Indians caught wind of Plesac’s violation quickly and made him drive home to Cleveland in a rental car. For whatever reason they didn’t seem to know that Clevinger was with him, and he sat in meetings and flew home with the team Sunday, potentially exposing everyone in the clubhouse to COVID-19.
Hear Indians starter Mike Clevinger sat through a team meeting yesterday and defended Zach Plesac knowing he’d been out with Plesac, then flew back with the team. Now, the Indians discover Clevinger was out with Plesac and so they have appropriately quarantined Clevinger.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) August 10, 2020
Violating safety protocols put in place to prevent a disease that has killed hundreds of thousands of people already is bad enough, but not coming forward about doing so when someone else is being punished for it feels suspension worthy to me.
The Indians’ tone about Plesac seemed intent on dealing with it in-house, but neither player has officially faced a suspension yet.