CINCINNATI – The Cleveland Indians placed righthander Trevor Bauer on the 10-day disabled list Tuesday with a small stress fracture in his right leg.
Cleveland led the second-place Twins by 12½ games coming into the day. But any lingering issue with Bauer could hurt the Indians' chances of advancing in the playoffs.
Bauer was struck by Jose Abreu's liner in the seventh inning of Saturday night's 3-1 win at the Chicago White Sox. He returned to Cleveland after experiencing soreness and swelling, and an MRI revealed the injury.
Bauer, 27, is one of the top candidates for the AL Cy Young Award. He is 12-6 with a 2.22 ERA in 25 starts.
"Knowing Trev, he'll keep his arm in shape and he'll be raring to go whenever he's ready," Indians manager Terry Francona said before their game against Cincinnati. "There's never a good time. But he'll keep his arm good and strong."
Francona said he texted with Bauer on Tuesday afternoon.
"He said he was sorry," Francona said, laughing. "You feel for him. He has put himself in such a good place."
Bauer leads the AL with 166 innings pitched while ranking second with 214 strikeouts and third in ERA.
