Jason Donald has a hairline crack in the middle finger of his left hand and will not be available for opening day. The injury, incurred when Donald was hit by a pitch on March 5th, was originally thought to be a bone bruise until a CT scan determined the true extent of the damage. Jack Hannahan (ugh, I know you missed it, .368, .952 OPS) seems to be the most likely choice to start at third on April 1. Luis Valbuena (.216) continues to show unlikely power (4 dongs) and still has an opportunity to be part of the Tribe's future. Hannahan absolutely does not. I guarantee you, Jack Hannahan will never be a productive part of the team. Do not waste any time on him.
Today, (not even late to the party with this one) the Indians waived Jensen Lewis (14.29 ERA). Following an atrocious spring by the right hander and needing to clear a spot on the forty man roster for the aforementioned Hannahan, the Tribe has opened up Lewis to waiver claims. I find it unlikely that Lewis will pass through the process and make it to AAA Columbus, but we shall see.
Grady Sizemore made his much anticipated debut on Sunday, batting leadoff as the DH. Grady saw five pitches and went 0-for-2 with a grounder to second and a fly ball to center. Don't expect that Sizemore will be on the opening day roster, but he is 100% on track with his rehab. All signs point to his arrival on the Lake in late April or early May.
The Indians made their third round of cuts, dropping their roster to 44. Josh Judy was outrighted to Columbus while Joe Martinez and Yohan Pino were re-assigned to minor league camp. None of the three was ever in serious contention for a roster spot. The number needs to shrink to 25 by April 1.
Shuffling the Deck: Fausto Carmona is guaranteed at the top. Josh Tomlin (1.13) is in, David Huff (6.43) and Jeanmar Gomez (8.25) are bound for Cow-Town. So does Acta act on his own suggestion that he might re-order the presumed rotation? At this point, I say no. Justin Masterson (5.94), Mitch Talbot (7.94) and Carlos Carrasco (5.84) have all been inconsistent thus far, but much of that can be attributed to the fact that none of them is fighting for a roster spot. The only reasonable possibility is that Tomlin might pitch himself into the 3 or 4 spot, but even that probably won't happen. The Tribe sees a future for Tomlin as a long man and does not want him to become psychologically attached to starting. With prospects like Drew Pomeranz and Alex White on the way (and don't forget about a rehabbing Hector Rondon), the future of the starting staff is bright and the organization feels that Tomlin's make-up projects to heartier production out of the bullpen.
Utility OF Battle: Travis Buck (.419, 1.108) has almost certainly sewn up a roster spot. Whether Shelley Duncan (.313, .833) or Chad Huffman (.367, 1.200) could also slide in depends on if Acta chooses to carry 7 or 8 relievers. Everything that I have heard suggests the latter and sends Duncan and Huffman to AAA.
Bullpen Men: Assuming an 8 man 'pen and guaranteeing spots to Chris Perez, Rafael Perez, Tony Sipp and Chad Durbin, Acta must choose 4 more. Vinnie Pestano (1.59, 8 K in 5.2) has been dominant and will be #5. I vote strongly for Frank Herrmann (2.35) at #6. If Joe Smith (3.60) were healthy, he would be in, but, alas, he is not. That leaves Jess Todd (Hi Samantha, 1.59), Doug Mathis (3.68) and Justin Germano (0.00) to vie for the last 2 slots. Both Todd and Mathis have struggled with their control despite relatively strong springs, so let's just guess that Germano is in. Though Manny Acta would probably prefer another lefty, there isn't one in camp. In addition, I feel similarly about Mathis as I do to Hannahan (ugh). Let's give the job to Todd.
Backup Backstop: Nothing had changed. Paul Phillips (.400) still stands ahead of Lou Marson (.182) and Luke Carlin (.067). Acta is non-committal on whether the issue of everyday playing time for Marson will be a deciding factor. If the brain trust agrees that Carlos Santana's days at first base will offer Marson enough ABs in Cleveland, all of the spring statistics may mean nothing at all.
Prospect Watch: Nick Weglarz has torn his left meniscus. He's being evaluated at the clinic to see if he needs surgery, but he will miss, at least, 6-8 weeks. 3B Tony Wolters, the team's 3rd round pick 2010, had surgery for a broken hamate last week. The organization will likely hold him out of game action for about 5 weeks. Wolters tweeted that he's "fine" and that he would be back well before the team's prediction. The Tribe is being conservative as they have high expectations for the young man. He's a gamer. Personally, I can't wait to see him live. Adam Miller has not suffered any setbacks in his rehab this spring and he may pitch in a big league exhibition game before the team breaks camp. If Miller proves that he can stay healthy and get hitters out, it is highly probable that we will see him surfing the North Coast this summer. Also hearing great things about C Alex Lavisky, drafted last summer out of St Ed's. Lavisky has shown skill both at the plate and behind it and could significantly elevate his standing with a strong first full season. Oh, and that Drew Pomeranz cat? Topping out at 96 this spring. I smell a fast track.
Who's Hot: Asdrubal Cabrera (.424, 1.210)
Who's Not: Jayson Nix (.125, .542)
Lastly, for those of you who might care (ha) Jason Davis has ended his "comeback" "attempt" with the Indians. JD was in camp for about a week. He impressed exactly no one and decided to head home. All of the best to the big guy and hearty thanks for his years with the Tribe.
Pitchers for 03.22: With the rain-out today, Josh Tomlin should start with Germano, Chen-Chang Lee, Mathis, Pestano and Todd also available.
Cheers.
