Cabrera's return means manager Manny Acta must make a decision on whether Jason Donald or Jayson Nix will be the regular second baseman.
View full sizeShin-Soo Choo is expected to hit third when he returns to the lineup on Friday.MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Manager Manny Acta says shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and right fielder Shin-Soo Choo will be ready to rejoin the Indians' lineup Friday against Tampa Bay at Progressive Field.
Cabrera and Choo are scheduled to finish a three-game rehab stay at Class AA Akron on Wednesday. When they return, they'll be in different spots in the lineup.
Until he broke his left forearm on May 17, Cabrera was the Indians' leadoff hitter. Acta said Cabrera will hit second when he returns.
Choo, when he sprained his right thumb July 2, was hitting second. He's expected to hit third, the spot he started the season at when Cabrera and Grady Sizemore were hitting first and second.
With Choo hitting third, that means rookie catcher Carlos Santana probably will go to the cleanup spot. Acta wouldn't confirm that, but said, "If I wasn't afraid to hit him third, I'm not going to be afraid to hit him fourth."
Santana has been hitting third since he joined the Indians from Class AAA Columbus on June 11.
The leadoff spot offers more intrigue. When Choo injured his thumb, Michael Brantley was promoted from Columbus. He replaced Trevor Crowe in center field and the leadoff spot.
Brantley has struggled. He went into Monday's game against the Twins hitting .167 (8-for-54) with four runs, one homer and three RBI in 12 games since his recall. Overall, he's hitting .151 (13-for-86) with eight runs, two doubles, one homer and six RBI.
View full sizeThe return of Asdrubal Cabrera, above, at shortstop will force the Indians to make a decision with Jayson Nix and Jason Donald.Crowe has started 43 games in center and led off 41 times. He's hitting .251 (46-for-183) with 24 runs, nine doubles, two triples, one homer and 19 RBI from the leadoff spot.
Shift in power: When Cabrera returns, Acta said he'll be ready to play shortstop every day. That means Jason Donald or Jayson Nix will be the second baseman.
If the job goes to Donald, Acta believes Nix is versatile enough to be the utility infielder. If the job goes to Nix, Donald will be headed back to Columbus.
"Donald won't be here to be the utility infielder," Acta said. "We want him getting the majority of at-bats wherever he plays."
Is eight enough? Right-hander Jess Todd joined the Indians on Monday at Target Field to give them an eight-man bullpen. Todd took Jeanmar Gomez's place. Gomez beat Detroit in a spot start Sunday.
It's unlikely the Indians will stay with eight relievers, not with the roster moves they have to make, but after the Twins they have a seven-game homestand against the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees.
Todd was 3-2 with a 2.75 ERA in 34 games at Columbus. He had four saves in five chances, struck out 46, walked 12 and allowed 38 hits in 391/3 innings. His WHIP was 1.27.
"I've just been more consistent throwing strikes," Todd said. Key arm: Acta says a key to his resurgent bullpen has been sidearmer Joe Smith. He's given Acta an effective counter to the opposition's big right-handed hitters late in games.
In the Tribe's four-game sweep over Detroit, Smith was particularly effective against Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera.
"Smitty has been a huge part of our pen," Acta said.
Smith, since being recalled from Class AAA Columbus, is 1-0 with a 2.70 in 14 appearances. He has not allowed a run in his last 11 appearances, spanning seven innings. In that stretch, he has six strikeouts, three walks and two hits.
The bullpen went into tonight's game against the Twins having allowed 10 runs in the previous 53 innings for a 1.70 ERA. Changes: Acta on Santana: "It's amazing how one guy has changed our whole lineup."
He added it's time for Santana to start playing the adjustment game.
"Once we left Texas [July 7], you could see people started pitching him differently," Acta said. "One team [Tampa Bay] used a shift. Another team [Detroit] wouldn't pitch to him. They made Austin Kearns and Travis Hafner beat them.
"So far he's done a nice job. He's taking his walks." Finally: The Indians went into Monday's series with a 4-0 record since the All-Star break. It's just the third time, according to Elias, that they've been 4-0 since the break in club history. They have never been 5-0.
To reach this Plain Dealer Reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158.