Santana to LF? With no DH at Wrigley, maybe

CLEVELAND — Carlos Santana has not been taking fly balls in left field just for fun over the past couple of days. With no designed hitter available under National League rules at Wrigley Field, Indians manager Terry Francona is weighing all his options for this World Series against the Cubs.

The DH will not be a part of the equation for Cleveland for Games 3-5 in the Fall Classic, meaning Mike Napoli or Santana would be forced to the bench. Both players are first basemen, and each is a critical part of the Tribe’s lineup. Given their importance to the offense, Francona is considering starting Santana in left field when the Series shifts sites.

• World Series Game 1: Tonight, 7:30 p.m. ET air time | 8 ET game time on FOX

“We want to keep every option open,” Francona said prior to Game 1 on Tuesday. “We were in a scouting meeting yesterday and I kind of asked everybody in the room what they would do. At the end, I said, ‘OK, so if I do this, you guys were all in.’ But we’ll see. I honestly don’t know.”

Game Date Time (air time/game time) Matchup TV Gm 1 Oct. 25 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CHC @ CLE FOX Gm 2 Oct. 26 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CHC @ CLE FOX Gm 3 Oct. 28 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CLE @ CHC FOX Gm 4 Oct. 29 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CLE @ CHC FOX *Gm 5 Oct. 30 8 p.m. CLE @ CHC FOX *Gm 6 Nov. 1 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CHC @ CLE FOX *Gm 7 Nov. 2 7:30 p.m./8 p.m. CHC @ CLE FOX * If necessary | All times listed ET • World Series coverageShop for postseason gear: Cubs | Indians

The disruption to Cleveland’s regular lineup, which always includes Napoli or Santana in the DH role, does not sit well with Francona, either.

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