Chris Perez injury: Indians' closer out 3-4 weeks

The Cleveland Indians have announced that closer Chris Perez has a strain of the subscapularis muscle in his right shoulder, an injury that is expected to sideline the right-hander for three to four weeks.

The Indians will shut Perez down for the next seven to 10 days. Initially slated to pitch in the World Baseball Classic, the closer will now be sidelined through the event and unable to participate.

Perez was scheduled to pitch today during the Indians' spring training contest against the Chicago White Sox, but he was ultimately scratched. In speaking with reporters regarding the move, manager Terry Francona gave off a "mysterious" vibe, according to Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer.

Things continued on a strange course, as Perez was seen driving out of the parking lot, telling reporters he wasn't "saying anything." Jordan Bastian of MLB.com later tweeted that the closer was dealing with "some sort of injury," but there were no details to be had at the time. Prior to the Indians announcing the ailment, there was even some speculation that the right-hander had been traded.

Perez has been the closer in Cleveland since 2010. The 27-year-old maintained an ERA of 3.59 with 39 saves last season, and he owns a career mark of 3.23 with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.26.