Indians Officially Exercise 2020 Option on Corey Kluber

The Cleveland Indians were a bit of a disappointment this season, as they allowed the Minnesota Twins to leapfrog them in the AL central hierarchy. This was due, in part, to ace Corey Kluber pitching just seven ineffective games over the course of the entire season.

Despite the right-hander fracturing his elbow last season, the Tribe has exercised the 2020 club option on Kluber, bringing him back to Cleveland for next season.

Indians fans will certainly be hoping that 2019 was just a blip on the radar for the former Cy Young winner. Last season he made just seven starts due to his elbow injury and recorded a 5.80 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 35.2 innings of work.

Over the 2017 and 2018 seasons, however, Kluber logged a 38-11 record with a 2.58 ERA, which includes an AL-best 2.25 ERA in his Cy Young campaign in 2017.

Injuries to Kluber, Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger among others knee-capped the Indians this season, and they should challenge for the AL Central crown next season if they're healthy, so bringing back the 33-year-old shouldn't come as a shock to anyone.

With the injury-riddled 2019 season in the rear-view mirror, the Tribe are hoping for a bounce-back campaign in 2020, and in order to achieve that goal they'll need Kluber firing on all cylinders.