GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Francisco Lindor may be battling through the first serious injury of his big league career, but his positivity has not been hindered.
"Every day so far has been successful," Lindor said on Monday at Indians camp. "I have made an improvement on a daily basis, which is what I want. I want to get better every single day. And at the end of the day I want to check the box and say, 'It's a successful day.' So far it's been like that. Thank the Lord."
Lindor suffered a moderate calf strain at the beginning of February while doing agility drills in Orlando, Fla., in preparation for camp. As he was running back and forth, he said he felt a pain in his right leg that had never occurred before, prompting him to immediately stop his workout. When he was evaluated on Feb. 6 at the Cleveland Clinic, he was given the time frame of seven to nine weeks before he could return to Major League game activity, which he said he's hoping to beat but won't push to rush back too quickly.
"It's funny with time frames -- you never know," Lindor said. "There's people that make it way before that and there's people that are not even close to it. To be honest, I just want to be focusing on what I've got to do on a daily basis and if I come back in four weeks, you'll be taking pictures out there. If I come back in nine weeks, you'll still be taking pictures, so it doesn't matter when I come back. As long as I come back and I can stay on the field on a daily basis to help my team win, that's what matters."
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Lindor had a chance to go to arbitration this offseason, but he was able to settle with the Indians on a one-year, $10.55 million contract. When asked on Monday why he didn't go to a hearing, the All-Star shortstop had an easy answer.
"Did you see the number? It's pretty good," Lindor said. "I'll take it. I'm blessed to play this game and get paid for it. It's a blessing."
But what about a long-term extension with Cleveland? Lindor said it's not something that he's focused on.
"When it comes to long-term deals, I love the city of Cleveland," Lindor said. "I love everything about Cleveland. I love messing with you guys. We'll see. We'll see what happens. At the end of the day, I'm playing the game to win. This is a good place where I can win, so we'll see. If the Indians come up with the right numbers and at some point it happens -- which, I'm not even thinking about it -- we'll see."
As the rest of his team took the field for its first full-squad workout on Monday, Lindor continues his rigorous rehab schedule. He said he typically shows up at the Indians' training facility to begin his work between 6:15 to 7 a.m. and doesn't leave until about 4 p.m. He is not running and has spent a lot of time doing exercises in the pool.
"[It's] longer than a typical day with regular work," Lindor said of his rehab schedule. "It's nonstop. The trainers are doing a great job to keep me entertained."