Francona sent to hospital for tests, misses game

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona went to a local hospital to undergo precautionary tests after feeling poorly before the team’s game Tuesday night against the Kansas City Royals.

Bench coach DeMarlo Hale managed the game for Cleveland instead of Francona, who won American League Manager of the Year last season.

The 64-year-old Francona, in his 11th year as Cleveland’s manager and 23rd overall, has missed significant time in recent seasons due to health issues. In 2017, Francona underwent a cardiac ablation, used to correct an irregular heartbeat, and missed 20 days. Three years ago, he missed around half of the COVID-19-shortened season with gastrointestinal and blood-clotting issues. A year later, he left the team with about two months remaining in the season because of hip pain and eventually underwent surgery for a staph infection in his toe.

Last year, with his health on the mend and the Guardians on their way to an AL Central championship, Francona estimated he had undergone about 45 procedures at the Cleveland Clinic.

His contract with the Guardians expired at the end of the 2022 season, but he returned this year and has yet to address his future.

Francona, who has won four AL Central titles and three AL Manager of the Year awards with Cleveland, was previously the manager for the Boston Red Sox, where he captured a pair of World Series titles, including Boston’s first in 86 years in 2004.

In his 23 seasons, which include four years with Philadelphia, Francona’s record is 1,911-1,626. He owns the 13th-most wins in MLB history, trailing 10 Hall of Fame managers and two active ones, Dusty Baker and Bruce Bochy, who are expected to be inducted eventually.