Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo has been activated and lefty Aaron Laffey placed on DL.
View full sizeShin-Soo Choo will be in the Indians' lineup tonight against Tampa Bay.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians' 2010 regular season. The Tribe plays host to the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at Progressive Field.
Pitching matchup: Indians RHP Fausto Carmona (9-7, 3.65 ERA) vs. Rays RHP Jeff Niemann (8-2, 2.92).
Pregame notes:
Roster moves: The Indians activated right fielder Shin-Soo Choo today and placed lefty Aaron Laffey on the 15-day disabled list.
Laffey has shoulder fatigue. His DL is retroactive to July 20.
Choo was placed on the 15-day DL on July 4 after injuring his right thumb while attempting to make a diving catch the previous night against Oakland. Choo and the Indians initially feared he might miss 6-8 weeks because of a torn ligament.
Choo is batting .286 (86-for-301) with 48 runs, 14 doubles, two triples, 13 homers and 43 RBI in 78 games. He has stolen 12 bases and ranks among American League leaders in walks (48), on-base percentage (.390) and outfield assists (six).
In three rehab games for Class AA Akron beginning July 19, Choo was 1-for-11 with a run.
Choo will bat third tonight. Rookie catcher Carlos Santana moved into the cleanup spot. Santana only has batted third or fourth since his promotion from Class AAA Columbus last month.
Laffey is 2-3 with a 4.62 ERA in 25 games (five starts). In 50 2/3 innings, he has allowed 57 hits, walked 28 and struck out 27. Since moving to the rotation on June 25, he is 2-2 with a 3.60 ERA.
In Laffey's most recent outing, July 19 at Minnesota, he earned the victory. He gave up one unearned run on five hits in five innings. But he did it with smoke and mirrors, the velocity of his fastball having dipped into the mid-80s.
This marks Laffey's second career stint on the major-league DL.