Indians' Francisco Lindor Reportedly Could Miss 3 Weeks with Ankle Injury

Cleveland shortstop Francisco Lindor could be out at least three more weeks as he deals with a sprained left ankle, according to Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com. 

Lindor, 25, has already had a tough season on the injury front. He has not appeared in any of the Indians' first four games of the season as he spent the spring rehabbing a strained right calf he suffered in February.

He injured his ankle after getting caught in a rundown while rehabbing with Double-A Akron. It was initially diagnosed as a mild to moderate sprain, but he met with Dr. Robert Anderson on Monday to get a second opinion.

When healthy, Lindor is one of baseball's best players. The three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger and 2016 Gold Glover was superb in 2018, hitting .277 with 38 homers, 92 RBI, 129 runs and 25 stolen bases. Those numbers only placed him sixth in the MVP voting, though it was the third straight season he finished in the top 10.

Without Lindor, Cleveland is missing its most important player, and fellow star Jose Ramirez—alongside players like Jason Kipnis, Carlos Santana and Tyler Naquin—will need to pick up the slack.

Lindor isn't replaceable, of course, but while he's out of action, Leonys Martin will likely remain in the leadoff spot in the lineup, while Eric Stamets or Max Moroff could continue to handle shortstop duties.