Francona returning to manage Indians after week of rest

Cleveland Indians' Tyler Naquin, left, squeezes past manager Terry Francona during batting practice before an exhibition baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona will return to the team Tuesday after missing more than a week so he could rest while dealing with a gastrointestinal condition.

The team said Francona will be in the dugout when the Indians open a two-game home series against the Chicago Cubs. Francona has missed Cleveland’s past eight games with the gastrointestinal issue, which has bothered him since spring training in Arizona.

The 61-year-old skipped the weekend trip to Chicago to get extra rest. After playing the Cubs, the Indians will go back on the road, to Detroit and Pittsburgh.

Francona is in his eighth season with Cleveland. The Indians have made the playoffs four times under Francona, who guided the club to the 2016 World Series.

First base coach Sandy Alomar Jr. filled in while Francona was out, and the team was forced to shuffle its coaching staff after hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo opted out of the remainder of the season due to coronavirus concerns.

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