Switch-hitting 2B Carlos Baerga had a nice run with the Cleveland Indians.  He played in 941 games in 8 years with the Indians and he was 1,097 for 3,666 (.299 avg, .783 OPS) with 549 runs scored, 104 homers, 565 RBIs  and 49 stolen bases.  Baerga’s best season with the Tribe came back in 1993, when he was an A.L. All-Star, won a Silver Slugger Award and he was 10th in the MVP Voting in the A.L.  Baerga played in 154 games for the Tribe in 1993 and he was 200 for 624 (.321 avg, .840 OPS) with 105 runs scored, 21 homers, 114 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.  Baerga made it to 3 All-Star teams with the Indians and he also won tw0 Silver Slugger Awards with them.  Baerga had the best years of his career with the Cleveland Indians.

The Cleveland Indians have placed 34-year old lefty swinging DH Travis Hafner on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 24th due to a right knee injury.  Hafner has played in 39 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 32 for 132 (.242 avg, .819 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 6 homers and 23 RBIs.  Hafner has also showed a good eye at the plate with 26 walks and 25 whiffs so far this year.  Manny Acta will probably rotate players like Lonnie Chisenhall, Shelley Duncan, Johnny Damon and Jose Lopez at DH while Hafner is out of action.  The Indians have called up 24-year old lefty starter/reliever Scott Barnes to replace Hafner on the roster and work as the long man in the bullpen.  Barnes pitched in 11 games (3 starts) in AAA-ball for the Tribe this year and he was 0-2 with a 3.81 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 93 games (80 starts) in his first five years in the minors and he is 31-25 with a 3.87 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.

UPDATE:  Travis Hafner is going to undergo arthroscopic surgery to his right knee tomorrow and he’s likely going to miss the next 4-6 weeks.

The Indians have designated 28-year old righty reliever Jairo Asencio for assignment.  Asencio pitched in 18 games (0 starts) for the Indians this year and he was 1-1 with a 5.96 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 27 games (0 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 1-2 with a 6.05 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP.  The Indians might want to keep Asencio if he clears waivers and accepts a minor league assignment from the Tribe.

UPDATE:  (6/1/2012) – The Indians have lost Jairo Asencio on waivers to the Chicago Cubs.

The Cleveland Indians have placed 32-year old lefty swinging 3B Jack Hannahan on the 15-day disabled list due to a calf strain.  Hannahan has played in 31 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 29 for 105 (.276 avg, .772 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 3 homers and 18 RBIs.  The Indians have called up 23-year old lefty swinging 3B Lonnie Chisenhall to replace Hannahan on the active roster.  Chisenhall made his season debut for the Tribe last night and he was 2 for 4 with a solo homer.  Chisenhall has played in 28 games in AAA-ball this year and he was 36 for 111 (.324 avg, .893 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 4 homers and 17 RBIs.  Chisenhall got his first taste of the majors in 2011 for the Tribe when he played in 66 games in which he was 54 for 212 (.255 avg, .699 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 7 homers, 22 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  Chisenhall will have his big shot to stick in the majors if he hits well this time around.

The Indians have placed 26-year old switch-hitting catcher Carlos Santana on the 7-day D.L. due to a concussion.  Santana has played in 43 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 38 for 155 (.245 avg, .747 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 5 homers, 24 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  Santana has also shown a pretty good eye at the plate as he has walked 30 times already this year.  25-year old righty swinging Lou Marson will replace Santana is the starting lineup.  Marson has played in 14 games for the Indians so far this year and he is 3 for 30 (.100 avg, .417 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 0 homers, 1 RBI and 2 stolen bases.  Marson will help improve the Indians’ D while Santana is out of action, but he’s not in Santana’s league as a hitter.  The Indians have called up 31-year old switch-hitting catcher Luke Carlin to replace Santana on the active roster.  Carlin has played in 20 games in AAA-ball this year and he is 15 for 66 (.227 avg, .634 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 1 homer and 10 RBIs.  Carlin has played in 52 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 22 for 126 (.175 avg, .553 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 3 homers and 10 RBIs.  The Indians hope Santana returns soon, as they are really going to miss his bat.