Not long ago, when the Cleveland Indians placed starter Carlos Carrasco on the disabled list, they recalled prospect Alex White to take his place in the rotation. Now that Carrasco is just about ready to come back, there was some thinking that White would head back to AAA. Except, surprise!
Jeanmar Gomez Optioned As Alex White Keeps Job With Indians
In an indication that the Indians are more concerned about winning than arbitration clocks, the Indians optioned Jeanmar Gomez to Class AAA Columbus on Monday and kept rookie right-hander Alex White in the starting rotation.
White, it seems, has done enough to stick around. He’s gone six innings in both of his first two Major League starts, allowing a total of five runs while striking out ten. He’s shown a good fastball and the organization has evidently decided that he gives them a better chance of winning now than Jeanmar Gomez, who’s allowed ten runs in 18.1 innings over four appearances. Gomez made 11 starts with the Indians last season as well, but his results were pedestrian, and it’s hard to argue against the notion that White has both more immediate and future upside.
By keeping White, the Indians are making it more likely that he ends up a Super Two player, which is one of those things that’s really complicated to explain but ultimately ends up with him making more money down the road (though the rules about such things might well be different after this winter).
But for the first time in a while, the first-place Indians aren’t thinking about down the road. They’re thinking about now, and White, it seems, is a big part of the now.
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