Francisco Lindor missed the Indians' first 18 games as he recovered from a calf strain in February and an ankle sprain in March.

Francisco Lindor injury update: Indians shortstop returns from injured list


Francisco Lindor is ready to make his 2019 debut as the Indians have activated the shortstop off the injured list, the club announced Saturday.

In a corresponding move, Cleveland has designated Hanley Ramirez for assignment. The roster change comes before the Indians' doubleheader against the Braves, though it's not clear if Lindor will be limited when he returns. He was not in the starting lineup for Game 1 on Saturday, but he is schedule to start Game 2, cleveland.com notes.

Lindor has missed the Indians' first 18 games of the season as he recovered from a calf strain in February and an ankle sprain in March. He teased his return Friday in an article for the Players' Tribune as he wrote, in part:

"So now, here I am. Back. Ready to roll. Ready to help this team win it all.

"And after having missed this game so much for the past several weeks, and spending some time thinking about the ups and downs I’ve experienced to get here, I am going to cherish every single second I am able to play this game.

"I will not take anything for granted – not any pitch, ground ball, hit ... nothing."

Lindor hasn't had many injury issues in his brief MLB career, missing only 10 games total the previous three seasons and leading the AL in plate appearances the past two years (and the majors overall last season with 745). 

Lindor, 25, is coming off a strong 2018 season in which he set career highs with 38 home runs and 92 RBIs and finished with a .277/.352/.519 slash line. The Indians have gone 11-7 in Lindor's absence, and they sit atop the AL Central.