Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer wasn’t sent to the bullpen to sit, nor was he relegated into mop-up duty in blowout losses.
The team views him as a weapon, an additional asset between the starting rotation and bullpen.
When the Indians announced this spring that Bauer would be moving to the bullpen to begin the season, Indians manager Terry Francona was clear that it wasn’t an indictment. The team wasn’t “banishing” Bauer to a lesser role, as he put it.
Rather, the team felt Cody Anderson as the No. 4 starter in the rotation and Josh Tomlin as the No. 5 was the best setup in the early going. There were six starters the club felt good about and only five spots, and the construction of the roster allowed for all six to start the year in Cleveland.
Two weeks into the season, it’s become clear that Francona will be proactive with how he uses Bauer in the bullpen.
Bauer thus far has made four appearances — tied with several others for the most — and because of postponements and the schedule in April, he actually has thrown more innings (six) than Tomlin (five).
“We’ve tried to get him in, as you can tell, because … we want to get him comfortable because I think he can be a huge weapon for us,” Francona said. “I think he’s starting to understand that, too, which I think will perk him up some.”
The Indians have been open about saying Bauer wasn’t entirely pleased with the move for a couple of days, but they’re also respectful of the fact that it wasn’t news he wanted to hear. Francona noted that players often take a day or two to bounce back, which Bauer has done.
Bauer then met with reporters and said he’ll do whatever the team needs and added this past weekend that he’s had no trouble warming up for his adjusted role. He’s been doing some of his long-toss routine before games to get in his normal work.
“They decide when and where I pitch and what role I am in,” Bauer said. “If they decide I have a pitch count, if they decide they want me to start or whatever, they’ll tell me that. And then I’ll go pitch. I can be ready to pitch whenever under whatever circumstances. … You can tell me I’m pitching in two minutes, I can find a way to get ready.”
There’s plenty of reasoning behind the Indians saying all along that they still view Bauer as a valuable pitcher and a starter. He just turned 25 years old, has a wealth of potential and pitched well this spring with a 2.14 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched.
The move to the bullpen could pay dividends as well. Bauer said this spring he wanted to focus on his velocity, and he’s certainly done that. Per BrooksBaseball.net, Bauer’s fastball velocity is up to 95.62 — nearly 2 mph faster than in 2015 (93.65).
Part of that could be tied to his being able to focus on one to two innings instead of five or six. And while he’s had his issues with command, the Indians see plenty of upside. For now, it’s a weapon in the later innings.
“I know he still wants to start, and I’m sure he probably will,” Francona said. “But, in the meantime, I think he can be a really valuable part of our bullpen. And I think he knows that, too.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ.