Indians' Francisco Lindor on Clevinger, Plesac: 'This Is a Time to Be Selfless'

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor said that now is the time for he and his teammates to be "selfless" following news Monday that the Tribe placed starting pitchers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac on the restricted list after the pair left their team hotel in Chicago and went out last Saturday evening amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Zack Meisel of The Athletic provided Lindor's statement:

Per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), Cleveland "implemented a code of conduct for players to follow on the road, forbidding them from socializing outside of team staff."

Plesac was sent home in a car service, but Cleveland was unaware of Clevinger's participation until after the team flew home from Chicago following a series with the White Sox. Both players are currently in quarantine.

Clevinger released a statement on Tuesday apologizing for his actions, per Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal:

Plesac, who began the year as the team's fifth starter, has been on fire for the Tribe this season thanks to a 1.29 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 21.0 innings over three starts.

Clevinger has also done well with a 3.24 ERA and 15 punchouts in 16.2 frames over three appearances.

Per Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com, Adam Plutko replaced Clevinger in the starting rotation on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs.

Cleveland does not need a fifth starter until Aug. 22, buying the team time to find a replacement if Plesac is unable to return before then.

Cleveland entered Tuesday with a 10-7 record, good enough for third place in the American League Central and fifth overall in the AL. A two-game series with the 10-3 Cubs, who sport the league's best record, awaits them at home.

The team will then play three road games at the 9-5 Detroit Tigers, three home tilts with the 3-13 Pittsburgh Pirates and three home matchups with Detroit, who will face Cleveland on the aforementioned Aug. 22 date.