MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Cleveland Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is done for the season after aggravating a left rib cage injury.
Choo was activated from the disabled list before Cleveland’s game in Texas on Thursday, but he left the game in the second inning.
“Same injury, he just re-aggravated it,” Cleveland manager Manny Acta said Friday before the Indians game at Minnesota.
Choo batted third and played right field for the series finale against Texas after being on the 15-day disabled list since Sept. 1 with a strained left oblique. The Indians said he came out of the game with left rib cage aggravation. After grounding out in the first and then playing the field in the bottom of the inning, Choo was replaced in right field by Ezequiel Cabrera in the bottom of the second.
Choo hit .259 with eight homers and 36 RBIs while being limited by injuries to 84 games. He had 22 homers and 90 RBIs last season.
“The guy was healthy,” Acta said. “He went through the rehab period. The last five days he was feeling good. If a guy is ready to play, there’s no sense in shutting them down. If you have any doubts, be a pitcher or somebody else with a really serious injury, that’s when you shut the guy down. But he had been down for 18 days or so and followed all the procedures, and was feeling good for five days. Why would you shut down two weeks of the season if a guy can play?”
Acta also said third baseman Jack Hannahan returned to Cleveland to rehab his left calf. Hannahan wasn’t likely to play in the weekend series, but Acta said he could be available when the Indians return home next week.
Hannahan hasn’t played since Sept. 4.
Acta said pitcher Josh Tomlin (right elbow soreness) will likely throw in the bullpen this weekend, and is expected to return before the end of the season.
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