Terry Francona undergoes heart procedure, out for All-Star Game

— -- Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona will not manage in the All-Star Game after undergoing a heart procedure on Thursday, the team announced.

Francona underwent a cardiac ablation procedure for an irregular heartbeat, the Indians said in a statement. Francona is resting at the Cleveland Clinic.

"Terry is expected to make a full recovery and will be discharged within the next day or two," the Indians said. "It is expected he will resume managing the team beginning Friday, July 14 and Major League Baseball has been informed he will not manage the All-Star Game in Miami."

Francona will be replaced in Tuesday's All-Star Game by Indians bench coach Brad Mills. He will be assisted by the Indians' staff and Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash.

"If T's not going to be there, I think the staff is ready to kind of step up and all share in those duties, and we're all excited about it," Mills said.

The 58-year-old Francona was admitted to the hospital Tuesday for tests to determine what has increased his heart rate and made him lightheaded at times during the past month. He missed the past two games against the San Diego Padres and will also skip the Indians' weekend series against the Detroit Tigers.

After putting Francona through an array of tests, doctors chose to perform the ablation in which a tube is inserted through the leg and guided to the heart. Damaged tissue is then treated with heat, cold or radio energy to help prompt regular heartbeats.

Francona's absence was noticeable in recent days as players worried about his health and wondered when he would be back.

"Just happy it sounds like he's got it figured out and taken care of," All-Star reliever Andrew Miller said. "That's what we want, him to be healthy. He's so generous with everything, whether it's his time or his money or the way he treats people. Hopefully, he's taking care of himself right now. Selfishly, we want him back. He's a big part of the mood in the clubhouse and the way things go."

Team president Chris Antonetti had been adamant to Francona about putting his health first. He acknowledged that Francona can be stubborn and perhaps not the ideal patient. However, after speaking with him Friday, Antonetti said Francona accepted the team's short-term plans.

"It took some dialogue to get there," Antonetti said. "But I think as Tito said, 'I want to get back to doing what I love and what matters most, and that's managing the Cleveland Indians and what would put me in the best position to do that for the second half of the season?'

"And I think as we walked through that, it made sense for him to get a few days, get out of the hospital and recover. Not go to Miami. Not be on late flights and have all the obligations that go around the All-Star Game because that way when he's managing Friday, he's in a really good spot."

Francona has been in the hospital three times in the past month. He had twice left in the middle of games and has been wearing a heart monitor so doctors can better evaluate him on a daily basis.

Following the All-Star break, the Indians open a six-game road trip in Oakland.

Francona is in his fifth season with Cleveland. He previously managed in Boston, leading the Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. He also managed in Philadelphia.

The Indians plan to display get-well cards at Progressive Field on Friday for fans to sign and present to Francona, who has led Cleveland to a winning record in his previous four seasons.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.