CLEVELAND, Ohio — Bobby Bradley’s wait is over.
The Cleveland Indians promoted the left-handed hitting slugger from Triple-A Columbus Sunday and he will be in uniform for the club’s series finale against Detroit at Progressive Field.
Bradley, 23, hit .292 (75-for-257) including 17 doubles, 24 homers and 55 RBI for the Clippers with a .997 OPS. He posted three multi-homer games in the last week, causing the drumbeat for his promotion to grow louder.
The Indians sent left-handed reliever Josh Smith back to Columbus in order to make room for Bradley on the 25-man roster.
Bradley has hit for power at every level in the minor leagues, averaging 34 home runs, 78 walks and 188 strikeouts through his first five seasons in the Tribe’s farm system. In 2014 he won the triple crown in the Arizona Fall League with a .316 batting average and 50 RBI in 39 games.
Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said Saturday that the club expected Bradley to be called up soon and that it is exciting to think about Bradley’s future in Cleveland.
Bradley came to spring training weighing over 250 pounds in February. The spring before he weighed 225, after losing 30 pounds over the winter. Bradley said he felt weak during the 2018 season after losing the weight. He missed time in Arizona with a sprained right shoulder and didn’t show the Indians much in spring-training play.
Bradley, who hit 27 homers last season, went 0-for-6 with two RBI.
Manager Terry Francona talked to Bradley about the weight fluctuation after assigning him to Triple-A camp in March.
“He got a little bit too lean last year,” Francona said. “This year maybe he went the other way a little bit. I think there’s a happy medium and he understands that.
“We had a pretty honest conversation with him about it. We tried to explain to him that we’re not trying to trying to beat him over the head. We care and we want him to have the best chance to succeed. He understands what’s in front of him.”
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