When he left Friday's game in pain after being drilled with a fastball on the right arm, Cleveland Indians third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall was originally expected to miss between four to six weeks of action. But after seeing a specialist and undergoing a procedure to surgically repair his fractured forearm on Sunday, the team expects the timetable to be much longer, likely in the 10 to 12 week area.
Initially hoped to be back at some point in the latter part of the summer, it is now apparent that Chisenhall might not actually be able to return in 2012 at all. Lonnie Soloff, the Indians' head athletic trainer, was not exactly brimming with optimism on Sunday when it came to Chisenhall getting back anytime soon. "We'll see how it goes," Soloff said. "The calendar is the calendar. But, hopefully, he'll make it back to play again this year."
Chisenhall was hitting .278 with three home runs and nine RBI before the injury, and did an impressive job of raising his average all the way up from his dismal .206 number on June 10. The former 2008 first round pick is thankfully expected to make a full recovery, but it looks like it will be a while before he's back on the field.
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