Guardians' Zach Plesac Placed on 15-Day IL with Hand Injury After Punching Mound

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Zach Plesac was placed on the 15-day injured list with a hand injury he sustained after punching the mound when he gave up a home run in his last start, manager Terry Francona announced Friday.

Francona confirmed Plesac fractured his hand in a 4-3 win over the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 27.

This is only the most recent injury for Plesac, who missed time during the 2021 campaign when he broke his right thumb ripping off his shirt aggressively in a game against the Minnesota Twins.

Losing Plesac is unfortunate for the Guardians. Although he has a 3-11 record, he has posted a decent 4.39 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 99 strikeouts in 127 innings across 23 starts.

Right-hander Cody Morris is expected to start Friday's game against the Seattle Mariners and will likely take Plesac's spot in the rotation until he's eligible to return. Morris has spent the season in Triple-A.

In addition to losing Plesac, the Guardians also placed starter Aaron Civale on the injured list with right forearm inflammation. He is being replaced by Xzavion Curry, who made one start for Cleveland earlier this year, allowing three runs on eight hits in five innings in a loss to the Detroit Tigers on Aug. 15.

The Guardians are first in the AL Central with a 68-61 record. However, they hold just a one-game lead over the second-place Minnesota Twins and a four-game advantage over the Chicago White Sox with 33 games left to play.

With Plesac and Civale sidelined, Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie will be tasked with holding down the rotation and keeping the Guardians in playoff contention.