CLEVELAND — Indians Manager Terry Francona was admitted to Cleveland Clinic for tests and missed Tuesday night’s game against the San Diego Padres.
Francona, 58, was hospitalized twice last month after becoming lightheaded and having a rapid heartbeat. He was fitted with a heart monitor last week and said at the time doctors had ruled out any serious health issues.
“As I’ve continued to tell Tito, the most important thing is his health and that we focus mostly on that,” team president Chris Antonetti said before the matchup with the Padres. “If that means he has to spend a day or two away from the ballpark, then that’s what he needs to do.”
Antonetti didn’t know if Francona would spend the night at the hospital or when he would resume his managerial duties. Antonetti said Francona did not experience the previous symptoms again and the tests are being done to help determine what’s causing the issue.
“The expectation is that he would have some additional tests once they started to narrow the area of focus,” Antonetti said. “That’s what he’s doing now, is getting those additional tests.”
Antonetti said Francona was at Progressive Field on Tuesday. He went through his pregame routine and swam in the indoor pool before going to the hospital.
Asked if Francona will manage the American League in the All-Star Game in Miami on July 11, Antonetti said: “At this point, I don’t have a reason to think otherwise. But again, we’ll continue to allow the great doctors that are caring for him to guide that process.”
BLUE JAYS: Marcus Stroman has an idea who’s to blame for all the blisters bothering pitchers lately. He’s pointing a finger at Major League Baseball.
“I feel like it’s an epidemic that’s happening across the big leagues now, a bunch of pitchers getting blisters, guys who have never had blisters before. So for MLB to turn their back to it, I think that’s kind of crazy,” the right-hander said. “I have no theory. But obviously, I mean, it’s not a coincidence that it’s happening to so many guys all of a sudden.”
Asked if he was implying all the blisters have something to do with an altered baseball, he would only repeat: “It’s not a coincidence.”
A frustrated Stroman was removed from his start against the New York Yankees after 79 pitches Monday night because of a developing blister.
Stroman’s teammate, right-hander Aaron Sanchez, is on the disabled list with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand.
Oakland pitcher Jharel Cotton, Arizona righty Taijuan Walker and Miami lefty Justin Nicolino are among the major league pitchers who left outings or missed time recently due to blisters. David Price and Noah Syndergaard had them crop up this year, too.
YANKEES: Second baseman Starlin Castro may miss the All-Star Game because of his strained right hamstring.
Castro went on the disabled list June 27, and New York manager Joe Girardi said Castro won’t start running hard until Thursday.
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