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Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona will be back with the team on Friday after being hospitalized earlier this week because he was experiencing lightheadedness.
The Athletic’s Zack Meisel noted Francona would be managing Friday’s series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Francona was hospitalized overnight on Tuesday after leaving Kauffman Stadium prior to the start of Cleveland’s game against the Kansas City Royals. His tests came back normal and he was at the stadium for Thursday’s matinee matchup, but he didn’t manage the game to give himself an extra day of rest.
Guardians general manager Mike Chernoff told reporters prior to Thursday’s game he was trying to push Francona to wait beyond Friday to return because of concerns over the air quality in Chicago.
“Even [Friday] in Chicago, as much as he wants to be out there, I’ve already started to push him a little bit on being thoughtful of the air quality—it’s going to be hot, potentially rain—just to be smart with how he’s feeling with his body,” Chernoff said.
Jessica D’Onofrio and Evelyn Holmes of ABC 7 in Chicago noted air quality in the city was at unhealthy levels for a third consecutive day on Thursday stemming from smoke coming from the wildfires in Canada.
The air quality was upgraded Friday, though it’s still deemed “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
Francona has dealt with numerous health issues in recent years. The 64-year-old had multiple surgeries and spent four days in the intensive care unit in 2020 due to a blood-clotting issue that caused him to step away from the Guardians after 14 games.
DeMarlo Hale was named acting manager midway through the 2021 season when Francona took a leave of absence due to a staph infection in his toe and to focus on his mental health.
Francona has been named American League Manager of the Year three times in his first 10 seasons with the Guardians. He’s led the team to the postseason six times, including a trip to the 2016 World Series.
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