The Indians have placed 2B Josh Barfield on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained finger on his left hand. This hurts Barfield in more ways than one as he was going to get a chance to re-establish himself as a starting 2B. Barfield has played in 3 games for the Indians this season and he is 0 for 6 (.000 avg). The starting job at 2B will now belong to veteran Jamey Carroll. Carroll has played in 41 games this season for the Indians and he is 26 for 106 (.245 avg, .646 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 8 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Carroll is a decent 2B defensively and he’s generally a decent hitter without any pop. The Indians have recalled 2B/SS Jorge Velandia from AAA to back up Carroll and Jhonny Peralta. Velandia has played in 2 games for the Blue Jays earlier this season and he was 0 for 7 (.000 avg). Velandia has also played in 44 games in AAA ball this season and he was 43 for 162 (.265 avg, .695 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 3 homers and 14 RBIs. The 33-year old righty swinging Velandia has not had much success in his major league career to date. He has played in 167 games in the majors and he is 43 for 236 (.182 avg, .531 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 2 homers and 23 RBIs. Don’t expect him to get a lot of playing time unless Carroll or Peralta get injured.

UPDATE: Josh Barfield had surgery to repair a tendon in his middle finger of his left hand which will cause him to miss the next 6-8 weeks of the season.

The Indians have placed starting 1B Victor Martinez on the 15-day disabled list with inflammation in his right elbow. The Indians are really hoping that the time off can clear his elbow up or he might have to undergo surgery on it. Martinez has played in 54 games this season for the Indians and he is 55 for 198 (.278 avg, .665 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 0 homers and 21 RBIs. Kelly Shoppach will take over as the starting catcher for the Indians and he will likely do a good job for them. Shoppach is a much better defender than Martinez but he’s not quite as good of a hitter. He has played in 31 games for the Indians this season and he is 18 for 80 (.225 avg, .667 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 3 homers and 7 RBIs. But, Shoppach has whiffed 27 times this season which is way too many. The Indians have recalled 30-year old righty swinging Yamid Haad to back up Shoppach. Haad has played in 25 games in AAA ball this season and he was 10 for 63 (.159 avg, .442 OPS) with 4 runs scored and 3 RBIs. Haad has also played in 18 games in his major league career and he is 2 for 29 (.069 avg, .255 OPS) with 0 runs scored and 1 RBI. He last played in the majors in 2005 with the Giants. Look for Shoppach to catch almost every game while Martinez is out because Haad just can’t hit.

UPDATE: Victor Martinez will need surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow. The surgery will cause him to miss the next 6-8 weeks.

The MRI came back on starting pitcher Jake Westbrook and the pictures weren’t good. He will miss the remainder of the season and possibly half of the 2009 season due to Tommy John Surgery. Westbrook has pitched in 5 games (all starts) this season for the Indians and he was 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Westbook has now pitched in 200 games in his major league career (160 starts) and he is 63-64 with a 4.31 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. The Indians will replace Westbrook in the rotation with lefty Jeremy Sowers. Sowers has started 2 games this season for the Indians and he is 0-0 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Sowers has now pitched in 29 games (all starts) in his major league career and he is 8-10 with a 4.83 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. Sowers will likely stay in the rotation until Fausto Carmona returns from the D.L. This is a major blow to the Indians chances in the American League Central.

The Indians have placed righty starter Jake Westbrook on the 15-day disabled list with a sore right elbow. What else can go wrong for the Tribe? Westbrook just returned from the D.L. when they place Fausto Carmona onto it and he hurt himself again after one start. Westbrook has pitched in 5 games (all starts) for the Indians this season and he is 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. Lefty Jeremy Sowers will likely be Westbrook’s replacement in the starting rotation but not until the next time around as the Indians need a starter for tomorrow night in Texas and it will likely be 33-year old righty Jeff Harris. Harris has pitched in 11 games (5 starts) in AAA ball this season and he is 2-3 with a 5.11 ERA and a 1.59 WHIP. He has allowed a whopping 59 hits in only 44 innings this season. Harris has pitched in 14 games (8 starts) in his major league career and he is 2-5 with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Harris will likely only be up for one start for the Indians before returning to the minors. Jeremy Sowers has started 2 games for the Indians this season and he is 0-0 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. He has been dominating in AAA ball however. Sowers has pitched in 10 games (all starts) in AAA ball this season and he is 4-3 with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. This really hurts as Westbrook is a much better pitcher than either Sowers or Harris.

The Indians have placed starting DH Travis Hafner on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain. Maybe this injury is why Hafner has been swinging such a poor stick this season. He has played in 46 games for the Indians this season and he is 34 for 157 (.217 avg, .676 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 4 homers and 22 RBIs. Hafner also has whiffed 44 times this season which is way too many. The Indians have activated lefty swinging outfielder Shin-Soo Choo off the D.L. to replace Hafner on the roster. Choo has played in 1 game for the Indians so far this season and he was 0 for 3. Choo has now played in 66 games in his major league career and he is 50 for 195 (.256 avg, .736 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 3 homers, 28 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. The Indians must keep Choo on the active roster because he’s out of options. The Indians will use a lot of players at DH while Hafner is out as they need to find a way to score some runs.