CLEVELAND — There are few things Eric Wedge could have predicted about this disappointing season, but the Indians manager did see into the future during his club’s spring training debut in Goodyear, Ariz., when he had a handful of career infielders try their luck in the outfield.
Wedge played Ryan Garko, Jamey Carroll and Josh Barfield — to name a few — in the outfield during exhibition games, projecting correctly that he would need some extras in the Cleveland outfield once the regular season began.
“I just knew it was a possibility,” Wedge said. “You have to be prepared. We’re not in a market where we can just go get another guy. It was more just to cover ourselves from injury or performance.”
The Indians have sustained injuries and slumps in their outfield, as they limp into a three-game series with Oakland that begins tonight at 7:05 with the worst record in the American League (31-49).
Three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award-winning center fielder Grady Sizemore has spent time on the disabled list and has struggled on the field (.219, 10 HRs, 40 RBIs, 51 strikeouts in 68 games). Opening-day left fielder Ben Francisco hasn’t produced all season — .228, 5 HRs, 23 RBIs, 51 SO in 68 games. And highly regarded prospect Trevor Crowe failed (.169, 4 RBIs in 30 games) when he was promoted from Triple-A Columbus to fill in for Sizemore.
All of it has put the Indians in the precarious position of currently housing only three true outfielders on their 25-man roster — Sizemore, Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo.
Garko and Carroll can fill in, but are largely inexperienced. Garko has started a handful of games, mostly in left field, and has not looked comfortable in any of them.
“We’re still not set in stone,” Wedge said. “We’re still trying to figure out what we’re doing out there. We’re still working to get better.”
Some of Cleveland’s top minor league prospects are in the outfield — Crowe, Matt LaPorta, Jordan Brown and Michael Brantley — and assistance could eventually come from there.
But for now, Wedge is choosing to go with the regulars, especially since he has begun to get some of his position players, such as Sizemore and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, back from the injured list.
“I think at some point in time they’ll be up here, but I don’t think that time is now,” Wedge said of the minor leaguers. “This is probably the best lineup we’ve put on paper in a couple months. As far away as we seem right now, it could be back real quick.”

Indians trade for reliever

The Indians acquired right-handed pitcher Winston Abreu from the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league pitcher John Meloan and cash. Abreu will join the Indians in the next couple of days to help out a struggling bullpen.
Abreu, 32, has spent much of the year with Triple-A Durham, where he went 3-0 with 10 saves and a 1.41 ERA in 23 appearances. He had 49 strikeouts and 10 walks in 32 innings. He pitched two games for Tampa Bay — one run in 3 2/3 innings — before being designated for assignment June 27.
Abreu (6-foot-2, 170 pounds) spent last year in Japan and has pitched in 35 major league games in his career.

Calling All-Stars

Three players from Triple-A Columbus — Brown, infielder Andy Marte and catcher Wyatt Toregas — will represent the Clippers in the International League All-Star Game on July 15 at PGE Park in Portland, Ore.
Marte is in the midst of a surprisingly effective season offensively, entering Thursday hitting .319 with 10 homers and 44 RBIs in 62 games. Toregas, a 24th-round draft pick in 2004, entered Thursday batting .288 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 48 games. Brown, a fourth-round pick in 2005, entered Thursday hitting .326 with 10 homers and 40 RBIs in 74 games.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

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