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Asdrubal likely to get plenty of rehab work
By John Barone / MLB.com
07/04/10 12:00 AM ET
CLEVELAND -- Indians manager Manny Acta joked earlier this week that shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera will receive between 15 and 100 at-bats on his upcoming Minor League rehabilitation assignment, the details of which have not yet been determined.Make it between 30 and 100 at-bats, with the former far more likely.
"We're going to try for a minimum of 30 at-bats before he can join us," Acta said. "We want to make sure he's ready. We'd like him to step right in and be our everyday shortstop again."
Cabrera, recovering from a left forearm fracture sustained in a May 17 collision with third baseman Jhonny Peralta, resumed baseball activities this week, taking ground balls and swinging a bat in pregame workouts at Progressive Field. He will work out with the Tribe next week in St. Petersburg, Fla., during a four-game series against the Rays.
"The stuff he's doing now is just physical," Acta said. "He's going to take batting practice in Tampa just like a normal guy and do more of the everyday routine type of things. That will determine his stamina."
Cabrera was batting .287 with 16 runs, one home run and seven RBIs through 33 games at the time of his injury. He could rejoin the Indians in late July or early August.
"When it first happened, we threw out August [as a potential return date]," Acta said. "I think he's a little bit ahead of schedule. He's doing well. The doctors have been encouraged."
Choo headed to DL with thumb injury
CLEVELAND -- The Indians will place right fielder Shin-Soo Choo on the 15-day disabled list with a right thumb injury Sunday, and recall outfielder Michael Brantley from Triple-A Columbus.
Choo hurt his thumb diving for Jack Cust's one-out double in the eighth inning of Friday's 3-0 loss to the Athletics. He underwent an MRI exam on the thumb Saturday evening, shortly after Indians manager Manny Acta told reporters the injury likely would not keep Choo out of action for an extended period.
"He's feeling a lot better today, much improved," Acta said before Saturday's 5-4 win over the A's. "We're going to do the MRI just to make sure everything is in order, but we're encouraged. Based on what I've heard from the medical staff, we're not anticipating this being a long-term thing."
Choo -- the top candidate to represent the Tribe in the July 13 All-Star Game, the rosters for which will be announced Sunday -- leads the Indians in batting average (.286), home runs (13), RBIs (43) and on-base percentage (.390).
"It's never a good time for a guy to get hurt," Acta said. "It's a big blow, but this is a team sport. Other guys need to step it up."
Brantley, acquired in the July 2008 CC Sabathia trade, exited Columbus' 7-1 win against Toledo on Saturday after one plate appearance. He batted .156 with four runs and three RBIs in nine games for the Indians earlier this season.
Redmond not surprised by atypical out
CLEVELAND -- Mike Redmond immediately knew what was coming.
The two-out, bases-loaded line drive Redmond hit in the sixth inning of Friday night's game nearly delivered the Indians' first run. Instead, it served as the precursor to a play that isn't exactly common in the Major Leagues: the 9-3 putout.
A's right fielder Ryan Sweeney, positioned perfectly in shallow right, gathered the one-hopper and threw out Redmond by a step at first base.
"I put my head down and ran as fast as I could, but I knew he was going to throw me out at first as soon as I hit it," Redmond said. "When I saw that I hit it right to him, I knew he was going to try to throw me out. It was a perfect one-hopper right to him. He had a good shot of doing it. That's just the way it worked out."
Unfortunately for Redmond and the Indians, it proved to be the defining moment of a 3-0 loss to the Athletics.
"When you don't play a lot, you have to go with your strength," said Redmond, the Tribe's backup catcher. "My strength is hitting the ball to right field. I just hit it right at the guy. That's it.
"I've played this game for a long time, so there are no surprises in scouting reports about how guys are going to play me. It was just a matter of time before something like that happened, where I hit the perfect ball right to the guy. It just so happened to be that the bases were loaded. The guy threw me out. There's not much that I could do."
Redmond understands that the play could potentially paint him in a poor light among fans. But he also knows that lack of effort on his part played no role in the end result.
"I'm sure people are out there going, 'Man, how did that guy get thrown out?'" said Redmond, a 39-year-old veteran of 13 Major League seasons. "They probably thought I wasn't hustling. That's the only thing that bothers me."
In essence, the defensive shift employed against Redmond was comparable to those used for left-handed pull hitters.
"There's really no difference between that and the way they shift Travis Hafner," Redmond said. "He hits those balls in the outfield and they throw him out at first. It's just different with me because I'm right-handed, but it's the same concept."
Worth noting
Catcher Chun Chen and infielder Jeremie Tice were promoted from Class A Lake County to Class A Kinston on Friday. Chen will participate in the All-Star Futures Game. ... Indians relievers entered Saturday with a 1.00 ERA over the past seven games. ... Each Major League club is wearing "Stars & Stripes" caps this weekend. The hats feature an American flag etched into the team's logo. All proceeds from the cap sales will be donated to Welcome Back Veterans, a program that addresses the needs of returning American veterans and their families. ... For more on the Tribe, visit the CastroTurf blog.
John Barone is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
