CLEVELAND — The Indians will add seven players from Triple-A Buffalo today, expanding their roster to 32. Travis Hafner won’t be one of them.
Manager Eric Wedge said Hafner (right shoulder strain) would return to Cleveland today to be re-evaluated after completing his rehab stint with the Bisons, but that the designated hitter “probably won’t” be activated.
Hafner played in Buffalo’s regular-season finale Monday (1-for-3) and Wedge said he could continue his rehab assignment with playoff-bound Double-A Akron or work out with the Indians. Hafner has appeared in six rehab games — all with Buffalo — playing every other day as of late and batting .316 (6-for-19) with three doubles and four RBIs.
Of the seven players expected to arrive today from Buffalo, Wedge would only confirm infielder Josh Barfield, who is expected to be activated from the disabled list after completing a rehab stint following surgery on his left middle finger.
However, Bisons manager Torey Lovullo told reporters that first baseman Michael Aubrey and pitchers Brian Slocum, Tom Mastny, John Meloan, Rich Rundles and Aaron Laffey would join Barfield on the big league roster.
Rundles and Meloan, part of the bounty from the Casey Blake trade with the Dodgers, are the only ones who haven’t spent time with the Indians already this season.
With the arrival of Laffey, who joined the Indians rotation early in the season as a replacement for an injured Jake Westbrook, Cleveland is considering employing a six-man rotation.
“We’re not sure. It’s an option that we have,” Wedge said. “A lot of it depends on workload and how we’re going to use guys down the stretch.”

Controversial call

Wedge wouldn’t weigh in on the controversial hit that was awarded to the Pirates against CC Sabathia on Sunday, which prevented the former Indians ace from tossing his first career no-hitter. “I didn’t see it. I’ve heard about it 100 times,” he said.
Sabathia botched a bare-handed attempt on a ground ball in front of the mound that on replay appeared to be an error. “That’s pretty much what everybody’s saying,” Wedge said.

Thome time

Cleveland’s all-time home run hitter, Jim Thome, is in town for the final time this season, arriving fresh off tying Mickey Mantle for 14th place on MLB’s career homer list with his 536th Sunday.
Thome told reporters he still has the ball, but that he no longer owns the one he hit for his 500th homer last year, traveling with his father to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., to deliver it.
Of Thome’s 29 homers this year through Sunday, six had come against Cleveland, including two in the season opener at Progressive Field.

Minor details

Catcher Carlos Santana celebrated his promotion to Akron by hitting a homer in his first game with the Aeros on Sunday — a 9-7 loss at Erie. Santana, the key component from the Blake trade, scored two runs and drove in a pair. Through Sunday he led all of minor leaguers with 124 runs and was second with 117 RBIs.
• Buffalo did not qualify for the postseason, finishing at 66-76, the Bisons’ first losing season in 14 years as an Indians’ affiliate.
Roundin’ third
Andy Marte’s hitting streak was at eight games Monday, with the third baseman batting .333 (10-for-30) with two RBIs over the span.
• Second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera entered Monday riding an 0-for-17 skid at the plate, while Ben Francisco was hitless in his last 10 at-bats.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. 

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---