Justin Masterson still needs some innings under his belt: Hey Hoynsie!

Manager Manny Acta said Masterson will remain a starter until he pitches his required innings this year.

Your Indians questions answered

Got an Indians question? Send it in. Submit your question and Plain Dealer Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes will choose at least one to answer each Sunday here in the Sports section. All of Paul's answers are archived online.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: When are the Indians going to swallow their pride and move Justin Masterson to the pen? I know they gave up Victor Martinez for him, but this is getting out of hand. The guy has the potential to be lights out in the eighth inning setting up Chris Perez and pushing Joe Smith/Tony Sipp/Rafael Perez back to middle relief. That cements one area of the team. -- David Gumola, Cleveland

A: Hey, David: Manager Manny Acta said Masterson will remain a starter until he pitches his required innings this year. I would imagine the cutoff point is 170 to 180 innings. If he needs more innings this season, Acta said he'll get them out of the pen.

As for him being in the rotation next year, that won't be decided until the off-season.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: In an article last week you were asked if the Tribe would sign a DH if they chose to cut ties with Travis Hafner. I ask, do you really sign a DH when you're a rebuilding club? Wouldn't the wise move be to play one of your own at DH or rotate guys in and out of that role since you have so many players with undefined positions on this team going into 2011? -- Joe Cepec, Dublin, Ohio

A: Hey, Joe: Good point. I also think the Indians' next DH will be able to do more than hit. He's going to have to be able to play at least one defensive position. It gives the manager so many more options when it comes to his lineup and roster.

Acta has made that point more than once this year, so it shows you how he's thinking.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians have touted Hector Rondon as a potential top-of-the-rotation starter. I know he started the year at Columbus, but I haven't heard any mention of him recently. What is his status? -- John Eckhardt, Pittsford, N.Y.

A: Hey, John: Rondon has missed most of the year with an injured right elbow.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Who plays left field for the Indians in 2011? It's hard to imagine Grady Sizemore being moved from center, but is that a possibility? -- Mark Cesarik, Chicago

A: Hey, Mark: I imagine Michael Brantley will be the left fielder if Sizemore is recovered from microfracture surgery on his left knee.

There is a school of thought that the Indians could move Sizemore to left to ease the amount of ground he has to cover and to preserve his health, but I imagine that if Sizemore is 100 percent next year, he'll be the center fielder.

Not only is he a Gold Glove defender, but he's earned the right to play there. I doubt that moving him to left field would change the way he plays. He's still going to be diving and banging into walls.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Jeanmar Gomez looks like he can get the job done as a starter. What do you think about him? -- Johnny D'ambrosia, Garfield Heights

A: Hey, Johnny: Gomez has done a great job for the Indians. He's basically done it with one pitch, a sinking fastball.

To elbow his way into the rotation next year, he's going to have to show that his changeup and slider are big-league pitches as well.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Andre Dawson, Bruce Sutter, Goose Gossage and Jim Rice are all guys that have spent a long time on the writer's ballot before getting elected. You said Bert Blyleven will probably get into the Hall of Fame this year. Side by side, Jim Kaat and Blyleven had very similar numbers. Why is it some guys sit on the edge for so long and then make it right before their eligibility runs out and some guys don't make it?

Also, other than the one (spitting) incident, is there any reason Robbie Alomar doesn't make it this year? -- Joe Winnfield, Columbus

A: Hey, Joe: It's easy to say Kirby Puckett, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn are Hall of Famers. Other players are an acquired taste. Momentum builds slowly around some guys as it has with Blyleven. I don't condone it, and it certainly isn't fair, but that's the way it is.

A player needs to get 5 percent of the vote annually to stay on the ballot. Fifteen years is the maximum a player can be on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot. That gives the writers a lot of time to study a player's case.

As for Alomar, he should have made last year. I definitely think he makes it this year.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: In your draft pick articles you seem to always make a point about how much the Tribe is spending. Is their annual signing expenditure considerably higher than other teams? Are you politely suggesting they spend the money on proven players because their draft record is so poor? -- Dustin Potter, Ithaca, N.Y.

A: Hey, Dustin: I think you're reading between the lines too much. The Indians are constantly criticized for not spending money. I've been critical of them for the same reason.

When they do spend money, I think it's only fair to point that out. Every draft story you read, no matter what the team, mentions signing bonuses and if they're at, below or above the alleged slotting system.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: What about voting in Indians all-time saves leader Bob Wickman to our Hall of Fame in the years to come? They could induct him on May 3, the anniversary of the day he invented the intentional balk in 2005. I bet he'd show up and have a lot of fun with it. -- Joseph Ladd, Cleveland

A: Hey, Joseph: I'd love to see Wicky in the Hall of Fame. He deserves it. His intentional balk at the Metrodome is one of my favorite Indians moments.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: At some point in the next month can you give us a beyond-the-stats perspective on Jason Knapp in the Arizona Rookie League? I see he has thrown around 10 innings. ERA looks good as does strikeouts to innings pitched. How is the shoulder and what is the next step in his hopeful progression. -- Steve Kelley, Asbury, N.J.

A: Hey, Steve: The Indians promoted Knapp to Class A Lake County where he started Friday. Ross Atkins is pleased with his progress. He said he was throwing between 96 mph and 98 mph in Arizona. He's scheduled to make four to six starts at Lake County and then pitch in the Arizona Instructional League.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Who are the Indians getting for Austin Kearns and Kerry Wood from the Yankees? -- Jim Conklin, Wesley Chapel, Fla.

A: Hey, Jim: The Indians on Friday received Class AAA right-hander Zach McAllister from the Yankees to complete the Kearns deal. He's 6-5, 230-pounder who will report to Class AAA Columbus.

The Tribe also will receive a player for Wood, but he's not expected to be a prospect. The Indians were looking for salary relief in the Wood deal. The Yankees agreed to pay $1.5 million of what remained of his contract. It could go up to $2 million depending on how healthy Wood stays.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Concerning the amateur draft signings, are the Indians being forced to overpay because the players' agents are not happy that the Tribe drafted them? -- Jason Vorhees, Columbus

A: Hey, Jason: If a player or his agent isn't happy about being drafted by the Indians, all they have to do is not sign.

When teams draft players, especially high round players, they just don't pick their name out of a hat. They've already spent a lot of time getting to know the player and his family so they have a good idea if a player is going to sign with them.

I think the Indians are trying to be more aggressive in the draft because they feel they get more bang for their buck than on the free-agent market.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Any updates on Grady Sizemore's condition? Are there any other active players who have had similar operations done? -- Jack Rockie, Durham, N.C.

A: Hey, Jack: Sizemore had microfracture surgery on his left knee on June 4. The success rate of this kind of surgery is 75 percent to 80 percent. He recently put aside his crutches and two weeks ago passed a three-day examination by Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colo.

Lonnie Soloff, Indians head athletic trainer, said Sizemore will continue his rehab at the Indians training facility in Goodyear, Ariz. Recovery time is six to nine months.

Steadman, who pioneered microfracture surgery in the late 1980s, performed the same surgery on Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran in January. Beltran missed the first 3½ months of this season. He returned in July and through Friday had played 33 games, hitting .225 (25-for-111).

Florida utility man Alfredo Amezaga had microfracture surgery on his left knee in July 2009. The Marlins, concerned about his knee, non-tendered him in December. The Dodgers signed him, but he's played only one game in the minors this year.

Chad Tracy, another utility player, had the surgery in 2007 and is still playing.

Several NBA players have had the surgery with various degrees of success.

Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Kerry Wood seems to be doing quite well with the Yankees. I know he was injured a good bit, but is there any reason why he struggled with the Tribe, but is serviceable for the Yankees, or is this just another example of Cleveland's rotten luck? Do you think it has anything to do with shaving that goatee? Perhaps it interfered with his delivery. -- Sam Rocke, Fort Wayne, Ind.

A: Hey, Sam: His stats with the Yankees look pretty much the same as they did with the Indians, but going from last place to first place can do wonders for any player.

Wood is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA in eight games for the Yankees, but he's no longer closing. In six of his eight appearances, he's entered when the Yankees have been losing.

Wood has allowed seven hits and six walks and thrown 13 strikeouts. In essence, he's gone from a high-leverage reliever with the Tribe to a low-leverage reliever with the Yankees with a chance, of course, to win a World Series.

-- Hoynsie