Cleveland Indians Activate Lonnie Chisenhall, Option Collin Cowgill

Cleveland Indians Activate Lonnie Chisenhall

As expected, the Cleveland Indians have activated outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall from the 15-day disabled list today.  Chisenhall was sidelined with a wrist injury he suffered in spring training.  Manager Terry Francona is wasting no time getting Chisenhall back in the lineup, starting him in right field versus the Seattle Mariners’ right-hander Taijuan Walker tonight:

Chisenhall will likely be in the lineup most days against right-handed pitching. The big question will be at what position? While he made the move to the outfield last year, he played exclusively right field. However, in his last two rehab games, Chisenhall played center field.

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To make room for Chisenhall on the roster, the Indians optioned outfielder Collin Cowgill to Triple-A. Cowgill made the big league club out of camp to the surprise of many. The right-handed hitter struggled though in limited play, recording just a one hit in 12 at-bats. Cowgill was acquired over the offseason from the Los Angels Angels for cash, and he’ll report to Triple-A Columbus.

Michael Brantley Getting Close to Returning?

In addition to announcing the return of Chisenhall, the Indians also announced some updates on Michael Brantley‘s rehab schedule:

It’s worth nothing that the Indians activated Chisenhall after playing in back-to-back games Monday and Tuesday.  Brantley is recovering from a much more serious injury (shoulder surgery) and only saw brief action in spring training, so it’s likely that the Tribe will give Brantley a little more time before activating him but if things go well this weekend, Brantley’s return could be coming very soon, possibly as early as Sunday?

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Brantley’s impending return, coupled with Chisenhall’s could really shake up the Tribe’s outfield rotation. It remains to be seen how much playing time someone like rookie Tyler Naquin will lose or if utility man Jose Ramirez will continue to play there or not. Regardless of who may lose playing time or how well the makeshift outfield has worked to this point, getting #23 back in the Tribe’s lineup will be huge for the Indians.