Also, Kerry Wood will remain the Indians' closer despite his struggles this season, but Chris Perez's time is coming.
The Indians recalled left-hander Aaron Laffey from Class AAA Columbus on Thursday and he'll be the starting pitcher for the Tribe on Friday night in Cincinnati. PHILADELPHIA -- The losses keep mounting, and players keep changing for the Indians.
After the Phillies completed a three-game sweep of the Indians with a 12-3 pounding Thursday, the Indians optioned right-hander Jensen Lewis and second baseman Luis Valbuena to Class AAA Columbus. Left-hander Aaron Laffey and infielder Jayson Nix were added to the 25-man roster.
Laffey, recalled from Columbus, will start tonight against Cincinnati. Nix was claimed off waivers. Manager Manny Acta said Nix and Anderson Hernandez will be in a rotation at second base until a winner emerges.
Valbuena, who won the second base job last year under former manager Eric Wedge, lost it this season. He goes to Columbus hitting .166 (25-for-151) with 13 runs, six doubles, two homers and 14 RBI.
"We did this mostly for Luis," said Acta. "This is a tough level for young guys once they put themselves in such a deep hole."
Said Valbuena: "I don't know what happened to my hitting. I didn't have good luck this year. I'm just going to go to Columbus and work hard and come back here soon."
Lewis (2-2, 3.86) was optioned to Columbus for the second time this season. He struck out 14, walked 13 and allowed 21 hits in 21 innings.
"It was an odd-man-out situation," said Lewis. "I felt like I turned the corner today. I'll just go down and do what I've been doing and try to stay consistent and come back up and put things together."
Lewis threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings Thursday, but the first man he faced, Wilson Valdez, hit a two-run single in Philadelphia's five-run sixth. The runs were charged to Hector Ambriz.
Nix was hitting .163 (8-for-49) with one homer and five RBI this year with the Chicago White Sox. Last season, he hit .224 (57-for-255), but had 12 homers, 32 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
He appeared in 16 games at third base, three at second, two at short and one in the outfield this year. Nix, 27, was Colorado's first pick in the 2001 draft. He was the 44th player taken.
Three arrested: Indians minor-leaguers Beau Mills, Jerad Head and Josh Tomlin were arrested and charged with felonious assault for their part in a June 3 altercation in downtown Akron. The Akron Beacon Journal first reported the story Thursday morning.
Mills and Head, playing for Class AA Akron, turned themselves in after an arrest warrant was issued. They appeared at Akron Municipal Court on Thursday and were released on a signature bond.
Tomlin is pitching for Class AAA Columbus. The team is currently on the road, and authorities are taking Tomlin's statement by phone. It's believed Tomlin joined Mills and Head in Akron on the day the incident happened because Columbus had an off day.
"We're aware of it," said Ross Atkins, Indians director of player development. "We will have no further comment, and our players will have no further comment. We'll let the legal process run its course."
The Beacon Journal reported the incident took place at Whiskey Dick's on West Exchange Street. The paper said the victim suffered serious injuries due to the assault.
Mills was the Indians' No.1 pick in 2007. His father, Brad, is the Houston Astros manager.
Close encounters: Kerry Wood is still the Indians' closer, and Chris Perez is still waiting.
"We haven't gotten to that point yet," said Acta, when asked if he was considering changing closers.
Wood gave up a two-run, walkoff homer to Jimmy Rollins with one out in the ninth Wednesday to turn a 6-5 Tribe lead into a 7-6 loss. Wood is 5-for-8 in save situations. Perez, who filled in for the injured Wood at the start of the season, is 6-for-9 in save situations.
"At some point, we all believe that he [Perez] is going to have that responsibility, but we haven't gotten to it yet," said Acta.
It's no secret the Indians are trying to trade Wood, who is in the last year of a $20.5 million deal. If they took him out of the closer's role, it wouldn't help his trade value.
"We're not doing anything thinking about that kind of stuff," said Acta. "We just can't be changing what we're doing because a guy blew a save. He saved the game in Pittsburgh [Friday], and we were happy about it.
"Those things happen when things get out of hand -- three, four blown saves in a week. Right now, we're not considering anything like that."