The Indians’ allotment of available tickets for their 2017 home opener lasted all of three minutes in an online sale Monday morning.
The Indians will open their home slate April 11 against the Chicago White Sox with a sellout. They’ll begin the season on the road against the Texas Rangers on April 3.
The club stands a good chance of seeing an increase in total attendance in 2017 following their run to the World Series last year and the signing of slugger Edwin Encarnacion, the largest free-agent contract handed out in franchise history.
Indians owner Paul Dolan estimated in January that the number of season-ticket holders increased to roughly 11,000 from 8,500 in 2016. The Indians last year drew 1,591,667 fans to Progressive Field during the regular season.
Single-game tickets for the other 80 home games are still available at indians.com.
Stepping closer
Indians left fielder Michael Brantley took part in a simulated game on Monday against Josh Tomlin.
Indians manager Terry Francona said over the weekend that Brantley would probably need to appear in multiple simulated games before being able to play in a spring training game. It’s another small step forward for Brantley.
“I wish people could actually see what he’s done because it’s gone so far above what you’d expect somebody to do,” Francona told reporters in Goodyear, Ariz. “This guy stayed in Cleveland. He’s made so many sacrifices because he wants to be healthy and be part of the team — because he’s already being paid. This is all [about] being accountable and all the things we talk about.”
Walk it off
Center fielder Tyler Naquin needed X-rays of his right foot Monday morning after fouling a ball off of it during Sunday’s Cactus League game. The X-rays came back negative but did reveal a contusion.
Naquin is day-to-day and should be able to return in a few days.
“We’ll give him a couple of days to get the swelling out of there. He’ll be fine,” Francona said.
Debuts
Second baseman Jason Kipnis and outfielder Austin Jackson are expected to make their Cactus League debuts on Thursday, Francona said.
Kipnis is scheduled to act as the designated hitter, and he will likely continue to be the DH for four to five days after that before seeing time at second base. He was diagnosed with a rotator cuff strain earlier this spring.
Jackson is slated to play center field. He’s been rehabbing his left knee from surgery last July.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ.