CLEVELAND: Lonnie Chisenhall endures his routine every day: weight room workouts, taking ground balls, running and now participating in batting practice.
But he still has to prove that his broken right wrist is healthy enough for him to actually play a game, first in the minor leagues and then with the Indians.
General Manager Chris Antonetti and manager Manny Acta expect Chisenhall to play a few games at third for the Tribe before the curtain comes down on the season, but nobody seems to know when that might be.
“They just have to see how I’m going to be when I get out on the field,” Chisenhall said.
Throwing is the biggest issue, but so far there have been no setbacks.
“It’s kind of like relearning to throw,” Chisenhall said Monday. “My mechanics seem to be a little different now. But it’s good, because I’m having an easier time staying on top of the ball.”
Chisenhall took batting practice for the first time in the indoor cages last Saturday. He was scheduled to take batting practice on the field Monday, but the rain kept the players inside.
“It felt good to start swinging again,” he said. “But I know it’s going to take a while for me to feel the same as I did in June.”
Chisenhall was beginning to get into a groove when he was hit by Baltimore Orioles reliever Troy Patton. At the time, he was batting .278 with three home runs and nine RBI in 72 at-bats.
“I never had a broken bone before,” Chisenhall said. “But I knew it was a fracture by the sound. I wasn’t really thinking of anything except that it hurt.”
Even if Chisenhall returns to the field before the end of the season, it’s likely he will play winter ball.
“I think that’s an option,” he said. “I don’t know how many at-bats they want me to have or how long I’m supposed to be there. If I go, most likely it will be to the Dominican, because their season starts the earliest; I think Oct. 15.”
Chisenhall’s appearance has changed since he suffered the injury.
“I don’t really lose weight during the season, but right now I feel kind of deflated,” he said. “I usually play at 205 pounds, but I’m probably down 10 pounds or a little more right now.
“If I don’t have an appetite after a game, I make a conscious effort to eat something anyway. But if I didn’t do that, it’s not like I’d lose 30 or 40 pounds.”
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SheldonOckerABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
