Jason Kipnis will be away from the Indians longer than expected:

Already ruled out for opening day, Jason Kipnis, the Indians’ starting second baseman, is expected to miss at least the first two weeks of the regular season while dealing with nagging inflammation in his throwing shoulder.

A second opinion on Kipnis’ injured right shoulder determined an additional four to five weeks of recovery time is necessary, manager Terry Francona revealed Sunday.

Kipnis is a tough player to lose, since there are a number of excellent second basemen in the league. Not having a star at that position puts a team in a hole these days.