With the effects of COVID-19, sports have been impacted in many ways. From the NBA Bubble in Orlando, to the NHL bubble in Toronto and Edmonton, to the 60 game season the MLB implemented, there have been many changes to the sports we all know and love. With these changes to the way the leagues are run, it brings on a different set of rules for the teams in their respected leagues. Most players have had no problems following the rules set in place by their specific teams. But for the Cleveland Indians, it has been a different story.

On August 7th, 2020, after a road win against the Chicago White Sox, now former teammates Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac broke the team’s protocol and left the hotel. Zach Plesac was caught trying to sneak back into the hotel early on the morning of August 8th, and was immediately sent back home to Cleveland by the team. The Indians were not made aware of Clevinger’s involvement until after he had boarded the team plane on August 9th.

Once the involvement of Clevinger was confirmed, the Indians held a meeting before their series with the Detroit Tigers. Despite being 2/5th of the Indians starting rotation, players did not hesitate to rip into Clevinger and Plesac, including  4x All-Star shortshop, Francisco Lindor. One of the veterans on the pitching staff, 39 year old Oliver Perez, claimed he would not return to the team if both Plesac and Clevinger were on the roster for the series with the Tigers. Both pitchers were sent to the alternative site and were not on the MLB roster for 10 days.

Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac arrived in Detroit with all of their baseball gear. And then, after an open forum with teammates and staff, the Indians sent them home.

What it means moving forward: https://t.co/oILn7h4IUk

— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) August 14, 2020

The biggest issue the team had with the actions of Plesac and Clevinger was the breach of trust. While both players tested negative, the Indians were worried about the potential exposure to the virus. They were especially concerned for their teammate, Carlos “Cookie” Carassco, who had battled leukemia last year. RHP Pitcher Adam Plutko, later said to the media, “They hurt us bad. They lied to us. They sat here, in front of you guys, and said things publicly that they didn’t follow through on. It’s gonna be up to them. It really is”.