Santana ‘much better,’ but sits out after scare

CLEVELAND — If it were not for the red mark above Carlos Santana’s right ear, it would be hard to tell that he had been struck by a line drive. On Friday afternoon, one day after a scary moment at Progressive Field, the Indians’ designated hitter was feeling better and hoping to be back in the lineup soon.

There are still hurdles for Santana to clear before that will be possible.

“The doctor’s not convinced he has a concussion,” Indians manager Terry Francona said before Friday’s game against the Angels. “Saying that, we’re not going to play him. Like I said last night, I think you err on the side of caution.”

In the fifth inning of Thursday’s 14-4 win over Los Angeles, Francisco Lindor sent a foul ball into the Indians’ dugout down the third-base line. Santana, who was sitting on an elevated bench behind the railing, tried to duck out of the way, but was hit on the head by the line drive. He tumbled to the ground and needed to be helped to the clubhouse by a pair of team athletic trainers.

Francona did not rule out the possibility of placing Santana on Major League Baseball’s seven-day concussion list, but noted that the decision would not happen Friday. During …

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