Guardians place slugging 1B Josh Naylor on 10-day injured list with oblique strain

CLEVELAND (AP) — Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor has been placed on the 10-day injured list because of an oblique strain, leaving Cleveland without one of its top power hitters for the time being.

Naylor sat out the ast two games in Houston with the injury that had been bothering him for longer. An MRI revealed the strain, which has a projected recovery time of 3-6 weeks.

“The problem with these is it’s not like a calf or a quad, where if you’re starting to feel good, you could play through it,” manager Terry Francona said. “We’re going to have to keep an eye on him and he’ll get re-checked weekly.”

The Guardians, who enter the weekend 2 1/2 games behind first-place Minnesota in the AL Central, made the move with Naylor — retroactive to Tuesday — on Friday before opening a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

Naylor has been Cleveland’s most productive middle-of-the-lineup hitter. He’s batting .306 with 15 homers and a team-high 79 RBIs.

Earlier this week, the Guardians traded slugger Josh Bell to Miami.

The Guardians also placed infielder Tyler Freeman on the injured list with a strained right shoulder. Francona said Freeman’s injury is not a long-term concern.

Needing some immediate help, Cleveland acquired outfielder Kole Calhoun in a trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash and recalled infielder José Tena from Triple-A Columbus.

Calhoun, 35, split the season in Triple-A with the New York Yankees and Dodgers. He batted a combined .297 with nine homers and 46 RBIs in 58 games.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB