The Cleveland Indians optioned four players to Triple-A Columbus on Thursday. Had the season begun on time, at least three of them were almost certain to be on the major league roster: Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac, and James Karinchak. The fourth was Bradley Zimmer.
Service time has been one of the primary bullet points in the league’s negotiations with the players’ association on how to handle whichever scenario emerges from a wide-ranging sea of them regarding the 2020 baseball schedule.
The send-downs of Civale, Plesac, and Karinchak are directly tied to these same concerns over service time.