Indians’ Yan Gomes suffers knee sprain on awkward play at home plate

Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes was carted off the field on Saturday after sustaining a right knee injury during an awkward play at home plate during the ninth inning of Detroit’s 9-6 win. 

As a result of the play, Gomes will be out of action for the next 6-to-8 with a moderate MCL sprain. He was officially placed on 15-day disabled list early Sunday.

After the Tigers regained the lead in what had been an intense, back-and-forth division game, Gomes was injured as Tigers outfielder Rajai Davis slid into his right leg while trying to score on an infield grounder. Davis was ruled out on a force play after the throw came home from first baseman Carlos Santana, but Gomes was unable to continue the play following the contact.

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It was one of those unfortunate plays where everybody was playing hard but nobody was at fault for the injury. Gomes had his right foot planted in the middle of the plate to receive the throw, which is standard on force plays at home. Davis didn’t come in overly aggressive or with intent. It was just an awkward set of circumstances with a costly result for Cleveland.

Gomes, who became the first Brazilian-born major leaguer when he debuted in 2012, hit .278 with impressive power last season. He finished with 21 home runs and a .785 OPS, which topped all American League catchers and earned him his first Silver Slugger Award.

Though not yet a Gold Glove winner, Gomes may be even more highly regarded for his defense. Last season, he threw out 31 of 97 would-be basestealers. 

In Gomes’ absence, the Indians will likely turn to backup Roberto Perez. The Indians also have Carlos Santana on the roster. Santana came to the big leagues as a catcher, but was phased out of that role due to health concerns. It’s unlikely they’d put him back there again on a regular basis, but might consider him the primary backup during Gomes’ absence.  

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813