Indians activate Sizemore, start him at leadoff vs. O’s

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The Indians are off to a fantastic 10-4 start and have provided Major League Baseball’s biggest feel-good story to this point as they sit atop the American League Central standings.

Now they’re about to get a major piece of their starting lineup back.

According to the organization’s official Twitter feed, center fielder Grady Sizemore has been activated from the 15-day disabled list and is batting leadoff on Sunday afternoon against the Orioles.

Sizemore missed the first two weeks of the regular season while in recovery mode from microfracture knee surgery. He’s probably not back to 100 percent quite yet, but his left knee has to be tested at some point and the Tribe feel confident enough that he can contribute right now.

Sizemore spent six days on a minor league rehab assignment, collecting six hits, a home run and four RBI in 17 at-bats between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus.

The Indians placed infielder Mitch Talbot on the disabled list with an elbow injury to clear roster space.

Dodgers place pitcher Noah Syndergaard on injured list with no timetable for return

dodgers syndergaard
Katie Stratman/USA TODAY Sports
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CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”