Cleveland Indians 2B Jason Kipnis sidelined with shoulder strain

Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis has been diagnosed with a strained right rotator cuff and has been told to avoid throwing for four to five days.

Indians manager Terry Francona told reporters Sunday that Kipnis received a cortisone shot on Saturday in his throwing shoulder.

Kipnis, a two-time All-Star, felt discomfort in the shoulder as he increased his throwing distance while warming up. An MRI exam detected the strain.

Francona said Kipnis should be "raring to go" when cleared to throw.

"If it were during the season, we wouldn't do anything," Francona said, "but there's so much time to get ready that to put a Band-Aid on it now didn't seem to make sense."

Kipnis smacked a career-best 23 homers last season while batting .275 with 82 RBIs. He slugged four more homers during the postseason as Cleveland reached the World Series before losing to the Chicago Cubs in seven games.