Michael Brantley steps right into starting lineup after being called up Friday: Cleveland Indians Insider

The Tribe sends reliever Jensen Lewis back to Class AAA Columbus to make room for Brantley.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Michael Brantley has resumed being the Indians' regular center fielder.

Brantley was promoted from Class AAA Columbus on Friday afternoon. Hours later, he began this third stint with the Tribe this season by starting in center and batting leadoff against Twins lefty Francisco Liriano.

To make room for Brantley, the Indians sent reliever Jensen Lewis to Columbus.

"We feel like Michael's a guy who is going to hit up here," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "It's a matter of time -- and we have it. We have the time, and we have the opportunity."

Brantley broke camp with the Indians, struggled and was optioned to Columbus on April 18. He returned to Cleveland on July 4 and stayed until July 27. He combined to hit .157 (16-for-102) with 12 runs in the first two stints.

"It's going to take awhile for him to change [the average], because he dug such a big hole," Acta said. "But we don't look at the numbers; we see at-bats. And he had better at-bats the last time he was here. Our team is better with him on it."

Brantley is hitting .319 (87-for-273) with 54 runs in 67 games for the Clippers. He ranks second in the International League in average.

Brantley walked into the clubhouse at 3:59 p.m. and quickly unpacked his giant Clippers duffel bag before taking the field for batting practice.

Lewis, who also opened the season with the Tribe, has been sent down four times this year. He is 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 25 appearances for Cleveland. He has 28 walks and 27 strikeouts in 25 innings for the Indians.

"We've explained a few things to him," Acta said. "That being said, he has a right to be disappointed. I understand if he's disappointed, because nobody wants to be in the minor leagues."

Santana update: Rookie catcher Carlos Santana underwent surgery on his left knee Friday at the Cleveland Clinic to repair a strained lateral collateral ligament. Indians head athletic trainer Lonnie Soloff has said Santana's recovery time will be 4-6 months.

"They didn't find any damage inside the knee or anywhere else, which is good news," Acta said. "They were able to repair the ligament; they didn't need to reconstruct anything."

Santana was injured Monday night at Fenway Park in a collision at the plate with Boston left fielder Ryan Kalish. While attempting to score on a single, Kalish fell on top of Santana's extended leg. Santana's leg bent and his shoe came off.

He's in: The Indians claimed infielder/outfielder Drew Sutton off outright waivers from the Cincinnati Reds and optioned him to Columbus.

Sutton appeared in two games with Cincinnati in May and was 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBI. In 84 games with Class AAA Louisville this year, he batted .262 with three homers and 27 RBI.

Sutton (6-3, 200) is a switch-hitter. He was a 15th-round pick by the Houston Astros in 2004 out of Baylor University.

The Indians' 40-man roster stands at 39.

K-Love in the house: Kenny Lofton visited the press box Friday night. He will be inducted into the Indians Hall of Fame tonight in a pregame ceremony on the field.

Lofton played for the Indians in three stints (1992-96; 1998-2001; 2007). He ranks as the franchise's all-time leader with 452 steals and is third with 975 runs.

The late Cy Slapnicka, former Tribe general manager and super scout, will be inducted into the Indians Distinguished Hall of Fame (for non-uniformed personnel). Slapnicka signed Bob Feller and Bob Lemon.

Feller is among those who will be in attendance tonight.

Finally: Three terrific right-handers were in the press box Friday night: Feller, Bert Blyleven and Jack Morris. Blyleven is a Twins TV analyst; Morris, a Twins radio analyst.

Feller is a National Baseball Hall of Famer. Blyleven and Morris have Hall of Fame-caliber resumes.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dmanoloff@plaind.com, 216-999-4664