"His throwing shoulder is just a little bit sore," Francona said prior to Saturday's game against the A's. "I don't think it's anything we need to worry about, but I just would rather stay out ahead of it. It doesn't hurt him one lick hitting, so I'll just let him DH another night. I don't think that'll hurt him."
Francona said the only drawback was that utility man Jerry Sands wound up on the bench for another game. The Indians want to take a look at Sands, who was called up from Triple-A Columbus on Friday.