The First Lineup of Spring Training for the 2020 Cleveland Indians ... Again

Former Indians owner Bill Veeck once said, "There are only two seasons -- winter and baseball." It appears "winter" wasn't quite ready to enter hibernation.

The spring training opener for the Indians and Reds was rained out on Saturday in Goodyear, Az, a cancelled exhibition that will extend Cleveland's wait for Cactus League baseball for 24 hours. The rainout was also the first for the Indians as the home team since moving their training facility to Arizona.

UPDATE: Today's Cleveland Indians vs Cincinnati Reds game has been canceled due to rain.

Please refer to our rainout/refund policy if you have already purchased tickets: https://t.co/bipHVjTeOu #TribeSpring #RedsST
— Goodyear Ballpark (@GoodyearBP) February 22, 2020

Additionally, the first lineup released for Saturday's action was washed away with the precipitation, paving the way for a new first Indians lineup of the spring.

While Jefry Rodriguez will still start the Tribe's exhibition lid-lifter, with their opener now taking place away from Goodyear, the starters behind the 26-year-old righty will be almost entirely different than the group that was scheduled to take the field on Saturday afternoon.

That means no Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana, but also a first glimpse of offseason additions like Domingo Santana and Delino DeShields.

1. Delino DeShields - CF

2. Mike Freeman - 2B

3. Domingo Santana - DH

4. Franmil Reyes - RF

5. Bobby Bradley - 1B

6. Christian Arroyo - 3B

7. Greg Allen - LF

8. Yu Chang - SS

9. Kungkuan Giljegiljaw - C

Of note, Franmil Reyes, who said he dropped nearly 20 pounds earlier this offseason, earns his first chance to demonstrate if he can handle the majority of his playing time in the outfield corners. Manager Terry Francona has stated that Reyes will play almost exclusively in the field this spring.

Mike Freeman played a larger than expected role for the Indians in 2019, but he comes to camp trying to win a job on the MLB roster. The 24-year-old Christian Arroyo, meanwhile, is out of options, so it would seem likely that he'll get every opportunity to claim a big-league spot in a utility role. Arroyo was acquired by the Indians, along with reliever Hunter Wood, from the Rays last July.

The right-handed hitting Arroyo, who didn't play after mid-June due to an elbow injury, will likely bounce around the infield throughout Cactus League games.

Sunday's first pitch between the Indians and Royals at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Az is set for 3:05 pm ET.

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