Corey Kluber injury update: Indians ace facing 3-month absence, report says

Chelsea Howard

Corey Kluber injury update: Indians ace facing 3-month absence, report says image

The Indians may be facing an extended period without ace Corey Kluber, who was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday with a broken right arm.

According to cleveland.com, "an optimistic outlook" for Kluber's return right now is estimated to be three months (four to six weeks for the bone to heal and then another four to six weeks for Kluber to train and get back on the mound). That timeline would have him returning in August.

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Kluber suffered the injury when he was struck by a 102-mph line drive in the fifth inning of Wednesday's game against the Marlins. He was immediately taken for X-rays at Marlins Park that revealed the broken arm.

He was reevaluated Thursday at the Cleveland Clinic, which confirmed a non-displaced break in his right ulna, and he will be re-examined in 3-4 weeks the team said Friday, per cleveland.com.

In a corresponding move to Kluber going on the IL, the Indians called up right-handed pitcher Jon Edwards from Triple-A Columbus.

Dr. Bradford Parsons, who is an orthopedic shoulder and elbow surgeon at The Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, provided more information on the type of recovery Kluber is facing. He suggested Kluber may not need to have surgery, but would need to keep his arm in a cast to help stabilize the bones.

"I haven’t seen the X-rays, but from what has been reported in the media, it sounds like he was hit in the arm by a batted ball and suffered a non-displaced ulnar shaft fracture. It’s a break in the middle of the forearm in one of the forearm bones called the ulna. The other bone in the forearm is called the radius," Parsons said.

“That (ulna) bone is right under the skin. When you get hit directly on that spot, the bone can crack. It sounds like from media reports that it’s non-displaced, which means pieces of the bone haven’t shifted, which is good because it means it can heal on its own. When the bones haven’t shifted that means it may not require surgery.”

Parsons is optimistic that the bones in Kluber's arm will not shift and he would need just six weeks for the bone to knit together.

“The healing of a broken bone does need at least four to six weeks so it’s healed enough where it can tolerate some motion around the elbow joint and wrist without risk that the bone may shift," Parsons added. "The good news is that since it’s only a break of one bone in the forearm, it’s rare that anything would shift. That gives him a chance to recover as fast as possible."

Kluber will likely end up on the injured list with fellow starter Mike Clevinger, who is on the 60-day IL with back issues and can't be activated until June 14 at the earliest.

Cleveland is in second place in the American League Central with a 16-13 record, three games back from the Twins, going into Friday's play.

Chelsea Howard