Indians Manager Terry Francona Recovering From Staph Infection in Big Toe

Terry Francona is starting the 2021 season dealing with another medical issue. When talking to reporters on Friday, the Cleveland Indians manager said he’s recovering from a staph infection on his left big toe. This comes after Francona managed only 14 games last season because of his health.

“I’m in a boot. I wasn’t all that mobile, to begin with, so it’s not necessarily really killing my mobility,” Francona said on a Zoom call in Arizona, as reported by ESPN. “It’s more a pain in the neck.” Francona, 61, spent 10 days in the hospital after having surgery on the infection. He will be on antibiotics for several more weeks and is currently on crutches. This comes after Francona developed gout in December.

Francona noticed something was wrong when he was dealing with a significant amount of pain in his foot. He went to the Cleveland Clinic and doctors discovered the staph infection. Francona has been at the Cleveland Clinic several times due to a gastrointestinal problem and blood-clotting issues.

“I still have my toe,” Francona said, who is entering his ninth season with the Indians. “They just went in and took out some of the bone that was infected and they replaced that with some cement. I guess the cement oozes like antibiotics, and I’m also getting the IV antibiotics. After another three weeks, I think it’s March 7, I’ll be done with the antibiotics, I’ll be able to start getting off of the crutches a little bit, and then they’ll see how I’m doing as far as, did the staph go away completely, and they’ll look at it again.”

Francona joined the Indians in 2013 after spending eight years with the Boston Red Sox. In his first season in Cleveland, Francona was named Manager of the Year after leading the squad to 92 wins and a playoff appearance. He won the award again in 2016 after leading the team to a World Series appearance.

In 2004, Francona became the Red Sox manager and led the team to its first World Series titles in his first year with the team. He was able to get the Red Sox back to the World Series in 2016 and win his second title. He made his managerial debut with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997 and was there for four seasons.