CLEVELAND _ Indians pitcher Danny Salazar continues to draw nearer to his return to the mound. Now at the end of the postseason line, he could be an option for the World Series roster.
Salazar, dealing with a strained forearm, threw in the batting cage on Thursday and is slated to throw roughly three innings in a simulated game either Saturday or Sunday. He also threw off a mound in Toronto.
Indians manager Terry Francona has been pleased with how Salazar has looked recently and that he hasn't been holding back.
"He let it go, which is good," Francona said. "He really let it go and threw his change-up with some arm speed. So we'll see how the next one goes."
Salazar hasn't been throwing his curveball through October, as it was putting additional stress on his forearm. When asked if he was still staying away from that pitch, Francona said, "No, I think he's ready to pitch."
He could be an option for the Indians as a starting pitcher if he's lengthened out enough to throw three or four innings, or he could come out of the bullpen. Regardless, the club hopes he'll be at least available to be an option.
"I think the good news is if Danny pitches and he pitches healthy and he's throwing the ball over the plate, we have a really good pitcher for however amount of innings he's built up for, which can potentially help us," Francona said.
