The Cleveland Indians have called up top prospect Francisco Lindor, according to the team's official Twitter account:
According to Baseball America, he was the top prospect in the Indians system in 2014 and the No. 9 overall prospect in the country.
The shortstop has been playing for Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate Columbus Clippers for the past two seasons. In 57 games this season, Lindor is batting .279 with two home runs and 22 RBI, per Baseball America. The Indians selected him eighth overall in the 2011 draft.
According to Jim Massie of the Columbus Dispatch, Lindor was overjoyed upon hearing of his promotion:
The 21-year-old's call-up comes at the perfect time for the Indians. With an offense that ranks 14th in runs scored and 19th in home runs, according to ESPN.com, the team is hoping that its top prospect can help give the offense a much-needed jolt at the plate.
Bill Baer of Hardball Talk detailed how badly the team could use an infusion of talent at shortstop: "The last-place Indians could badly use some help at shortstop. The combination of Jose Ramirez and Mike Aviles wasn’t working out, as the Indians’ aggregate .527 OPS out of the shortstop position ranked second-worst in the American League."
Lindor will be competing for playing time at shortstop with Mike Aviles, who is batting .277 with three home runs and eight RBI.
Ultimately, Lindor will hope that his skills will help him join fellow top prospects Kris Bryant and Joey Gallo in getting off to hot starts in their rookie season, while he figures to give the Indians the kind of talent infusion they've desperately needed at shortstop.
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