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Cleveland Indians: Danny Salazar Headed to the 10-Day DL

By Xavier Alatorre

Jun 3, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Danny Salazar (31) pitches against the Kansas City Royals in the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 3, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Danny Salazar (31) pitches against the Kansas City Royals in the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Indians have announced that Danny Salazar is headed to the 10-Day disabled list with a sore right shoulder, reports Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors. The trip to the DL follows a demotion to the bullpen over a week ago.

Danny Salazar is having a rough start to 2017. In 55 innings pitched, the 27-year-old right-hander has posted a 5.40 ERA, the sixteenth worst in the league among pitchers that have thrown at least 50 innings.  It is a far cry from the previous two seasons when he pitched better than the league average with a 3.45 ERA in 2015 and a 3.87 ERA in 2016. The American League ERA those two years were 4.14 in 2015 and 4.42 in 2016.

Salazar’s performance on the mound is befuddling. The righty is striking out batters at an impressive rate, 30.9 percent, and is walking batters at a clip that’s slightly higher than last season 11.2 percent versus 10.8 percent in 2016.

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However, he has run into some bad luck. Salazar’s .366 BABIP is much higher than his career norm of .310. Cleveland’s park-adjusted defensive efficiency (PADE) is the fourth worst in the league and is not helping his cause. PADE is a rate stat that measures defenses and takes into account various park dynamics.

However, not all of Danny Salazar’s fortune can be placed on the defense. His 4.50 FIP would be higher if he did not have 77 strikeouts on the season. The 11 home runs and 28 walks issued this year put him on pace to give up at least 27 home runs and 70 walks this season. The demotion has helped, as he has not given up a walk or a dinger since coming of out the pen.

Despite his struggles, Baseball Prospectus’ advanced statistics are optimistic about Salazar’s performance. With a 91 cFIP, Salazar is performing slightly better than the league average and indicates improvement as the season continues. Meanwhile, his 3.74 DRA is the 37th best in the league, most likely due to Cleveland’s poor defense.

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There is no timetable for Salazar’s return from the DL or back in the rotation. There were no reports of an injury prior to yesterday’s announcement. It is likely that Salazar needs time off from pitching in order to bounce back. Cleveland is currently in second place in the AL Central and is 1.5 behind the first place Twins.

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