Cleveland Indians: Armstrong Recalled from Triple-A, Crockett Optioned

The Cleveland Indians made a minor change to their bullpen in advance of Friday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

About four hours before game one of a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Cleveland Indians announced that left-handed reliever Kyle Crockett had been optioned to Triple-A Columbus and righty Shawn Armstrong would be joining the big league bullpen.

This will likely be a short-term move, as Josh Tomlin is expected to be activated from the Family Emergency List and starting on the mound for Cleveland on Saturday.

This is the third time in 2016 that Armstrong is making the trek north on I-71, having previously put in one-day stints with the Tribe in late May and early August. In two appearances for the Indians, he has allowed a run on two hits while striking out two in three innings of work. For the Clippers, Armstrong has appeared in 44 games, converting nine saves in ten chances, and posting a 1.96 ERA, a .164 batting average against, a 1.17 WHIP, and 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

For Crockett, this will be the third time he has been optioned in 2016. He has pitched fairly effectively as a left-handed specialist for Cleveland since the all-star break, with a 2.53 ERA in 10.2 innings and limiting the opposition to a .216 batting average. For the season, the 24-year old has a 5.65 ERA in 14.1 innings of work for the Tribe, and a 3.62 ERA in 27.1 innings for the Clippers.

Armstrong, 25, tossed two perfect innings of relief against the Minnesota Twins on August 3rd before being sent back to the minors, and is the 29th-ranked prospect in Cleveland’s organization according to MLB Pipeline.

Next: Indians Host Blue Jays in Pivotal Series

The Indians and Blue Jays, both leading their respective divisions, begin a three-game series at Progressive Field on Friday night. Trevor Bauer will get that start for the Tribe against the Jays’ Francisco Liriano, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET.