Yan Gomes Injury Could Be Fatal Blow in 4-Way AL Central Race

In the rough and rugged American League Central, every loss is potentially catastrophic. 

We don't mean dings in the standings, although those certainly matter. We're talking about the loss of key players to injury, and specifically the blow that was just dealt to the Cleveland Indians.

A hot sleeper pick in what is arguably baseball's most loaded division, the Indians got some seriously bad news on Sunday: Catcher Yan Gomes, who twisted his knee in a home plate collision with Detroit Tigers outfielder Rajai Davis on Saturday, has a sprained MCL and will likely be out six to eight weeks, per MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. 

The injury alone won't kill the Tribe's chances, but it might put them on life support.

Think we're being hyperbolic? Listen to Indians manager Terry Francona, who told Bastian that losing Gomes could be "a season killer."

Francona went on to say he expects Gomes to return strong, and that he believes backup Roberto Perez can fill Gomes' shoes for the time being.

But make no mistake, this one stings.

Gomes hit .278 and belted 21 home runs last season en route to a Silver Slugger Award, and his 4.4 WAR paced all American League backstops, per ESPN.com.

Perez, meanwhile, has fewer than 100 MLB at-bats under his belt and hit .236 in six minor league seasons. Brett Hayes, a 31-year-old journeyman who hit .135 in 27 games last year with the Kansas City Royals, is coming up from Triple-A to assume reserve duties, per Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. 

Every team absorbs injuries over the course of a 162-game grind. But Cleveland simply can't afford to fall too far off the pace, not with so many talented squads primed to charge ahead.

Entering play Monday, the defending division champion Tigers and defending AL champion Royals each sit at 6-0.

The Chicago White Sox, who revamped their roster over the winter, stumbled to a 0-4 start. But on Sunday, they got ace Chris Sale back from a foot injury suffered at the outset of spring.

The left-hander didn't disappoint, allowing one run and striking out eight over six strong innings in a 6-2 win against the Minnesota Twins. The White Sox now sit at 2-4 and are trending up.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press/Associated Press

The Indians entered the season equipped to compete in a crowded field. Cleveland's hopes began with its starting rotation, which averaged 8.92 strikeouts per nine innings last season, per FanGraphs, the most since the 1884 Milwaukee Brewers. (No, that's not a typo.)

Losing Gomes hurts the offense for obvious reasons, but the Indians might miss his ability to handle the pitching staff even more.

"It's always tough to see a teammate carried off, especially Yan," said Cleveland reliever Cody Allen, per Fox Sports Ohio's Joe Reedy. "He's such a leader and a part of what we're doing."

In less serious—but nonetheless troubling—injury news, All-Star outfielder Michael Brantley is battling a strained back and missed his second straight contest Sunday, an 8-5 loss to the Tigers that dropped Cleveland to 2-4. It was an ominous day, as Hoynes noted:

The Indians, you'll recall, landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated in March, along with the proclamation, "the Tribe will win its first [World] Series since 1948." Can you say jinx?

OK, now the optimistic counterargument: It's way early. Even if Gomes misses a full two months and change, he'll be back before the All-Star break. 

Heck, last year, the Royals started out 49-50 before finishing 40-23 and streaking to Game 7 of the Fall Classic. Nothing's over yet; we've barely begun.

Still, for today at least, there's a pall over Cleveland—and baseball fans in the Rock and Roll Capital are singing a sad, sad song.

All statistics current as of April 12 and courtesy of MLB.com unless otherwise noted.