Rene Rivera

Indians' Rene Rivera on sidelines Thursday

Cleveland Indians catcher Rene Rivera is not in the starting lineup for Thursday afternoon's series finale against right-hander Jorge Lopez and the Baltimore Orioles.

What It Means:

Ryan Lavarnway will start at catcher over Rivera and bat sixth. The Indians placed Austin Hedges on the injured list with a concussion, so Rivera could see an uptick in playing time while he's out. Lavarnway was called up in a corresponding roster move.

Per numberFire's MLB Heat Map, the Indians have an implied total of 4.9 runs. Lopez has a 23.0 strikeout percentage and 9.6 walk percentage this season.