CLEVELAND – Cleveland Indians Coach Terry Francona is resting well after his toe surgery, his second operation since leaving the season in July.
Francona, who had hip replacement surgery in August, had the procedure on Tuesday at the Cleveland Clinic. The operation consisted of repairing his left big toe, which became infected during the off-season.
62-year-old Francona hobbled around in hiking boots for months before deciding to leave the team to resolve his medical problems. It will take Francona months to recover from the toe surgery.
Bank coach DeMarlo Hale, who represents Francona, said he was sure his good friend is relieved now that the operations are behind him.
“Absolutely. I told him too,” Hale said before the Indians joined the … Minnesota twins. “I think it’s the right thing because he will have time in the off-season if he doesn’t fight the clock to get to spring practice.
“This is a big step today and he’s going to get through this and he’s kind of in rehab and I think it’s going to work fine. Getting over the holidays and Thanksgiving, everything should be fine and that’s what I do.” I pray and hope for sure. “
It was a tough two years for Francona. He managed just 14 games in the shortened 2020 season because of a gastrointestinal problem complicated by blood clotting that put him in intensive care.
Francona announced on July 29th that he was leaving the team. He recovered well from the hip replacement and even attended a few games at progressive field while also doing rehab at the ballpark.
Francona, a two-time winner of the World Series in Boston, joined the Indians in 2013 after serving as a broadcaster for a season. In 2019 he signed a contract extension for two years until the 2022 season.
The Indians had eight wins in a row under Francona. He led Cleveland to the 2016 World Series, and the club has done the postseason with him five times.
Francona has 723 wins with Cleveland, five behind Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau (728) for the most wins in team history.
