Yan Gomes injury an early test for Indians

The Cleveland Indians announced starting catcher Yan Gomes is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with the MCL sprain he suffered in his right knee last Saturday. Detroit Tigers outfielder Rajai Davis slid hard into Gomes’ leg in a play at the plate, forcing the catcher to be carted off the field. It’s a significant loss for a Cleveland team expecting to contend in a highly competitive American League Central.

The 27-year-old Gomes enjoyed plenty of success last year, earning a Silver Slugger in his first full season. His .278 average, 21 home runs and 74 RBI were all top-3 totals among American League catchers. His 4.4 WAR led all AL catchers, further highlighting his exceptional value. Naturally, Gomes looked to build on that performance this year as the chief right-handed power threat in an Indians lineup needing to keep pace with the likes of the Royals, Tigers and White Sox.

Terry Francona‘s men will seek to make do for the next two months in Gomes’ absence, though it certainly won’t be easy. Cleveland’s offense experienced a rather tepid opening week, scoring 22 runs over its first six games, and losing the extra-base prowess of its starting catcher won’t help matters. Michael Brantley, last year’s breakout star, has also missed four games in the early going and may sit out at least a couple more by all indications. Combine all this with the torrid starts of the Royals and Tigers (7-0 and 6-1 with +34 and +30 run differentials, respectively), and there are probably more than a few worried minds at Progressive Field already. If there is any sort of relief, it’s that the White Sox have also been slow out of the gate.

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Roberto Perez will take over starting catching duties and provides several reasons for optimism. In 29 games in 2014, he displayed some solid defense and legitimate offensive chops, hitting .271 with a homer, five doubles and four RBI in 85 at-bats. He did, however, show a need for improved plate discipline, striking out 26 times in that span. Perez has made an early impression in 2015, batting .286 with a home run in eight plate appearances. Cleveland likes his offensive talent enough that they were trying to work him into the lineup more even before Gomes suffered his injury. If he can take to the starting job quickly and comfortably, it would go a long way towards steadying the ship until Gomes returns.

The Indians will also need their other key components to step up in the meantime. First baseman Carlos Santana remains the team’s most potent offensive piece; in three out of the last four seasons he’s swatted at least 20 home runs, and last year saw him draw a Major League-leading 113 walks. Some might hastily suggest putting him back behind the plate while Gomes heals, but Cleveland should keep him at first and batting cleanup on a daily basis. Besides, he only caught 11 games last year and the last time he logged 100 appearances as a backstop was in 2012.

Jason Kipnis needs to rebound from an underwhelming 2014 campaign and perform more like the All-Star he was a year prior when his .818 OPS trailed only Robinson Cano among AL second basemen. Brandon Moss, traded from Oakland in the offseason, has averaged 25 home runs the past three seasons and will need to provide more of the same. And it wouldn’t hurt for Michael Bourn to offer more of a spark out of the leadoff spot: through two seasons in Cleveland, he has averaged a pedestrian .315 OBP.

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The Indians find themselves in a challenging position on a few different levels. Gomes is a serious loss but not one requiring a response of drastic proportions just yet, especially with only a week of this fledgling season in the books. Cleveland may have finished third in this tough division even if Gomes remained healthy, so it’s difficult to justify trading for a Dioner Navarro type as a quick fix when there are some potentially viable solutions available in-house. It’s a long season and if he sticks to the initial timetable Gomes will be back before the All-Star break.

To claim the AL Central crown or nab a Wild Card berth in a very crowded field, the Indians were always going to need to prove they had the necessary roster depth. Yan Gomes’ injury will test their mettle a bit sooner than they might have predicted.

Next: Few surprises with Detroit Tigers current offensive pace