33-year old righty reliever Jason Grilli has a tear in a quad just above a knee and he could need season ending surgery. He is going to get a second opinion but it’s not looking too good for him right now. Grilli pitched in 52 games (0 starts) for the Rangers & Rockies last season and he was 2-3 with 1 save, a 5.32 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. This is a big blow to Grilli who was going to have a decent shot of snaring a spot in the Indians’ bullpen this spring.

26-year old lefty swinging 1B Jordan Brown will be undergoing knee surgery today which will cause him to miss the next 4-8 weeks. Brown is the Indians’ #14 prospect coming into this season according to the Baseball America Prospect Handbook. He played in 111 games in AAA last season in which he was 140 of 417 (.336 avg, .913 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 15 homers and 67 RBIs. This was bad timing for Brown to get hurt as he was going to have a legit chance to make the Indians’ opening day roster this spring.

The Cleveland Indians have placed 28-year old righty starting pitcher on the 60-day disabled list to open up a roster spot for Russell Branyan. Reyes had Tommy John Surgery last June so he will miss at least the first couple of months of the 2010 season. Reyes pitched in 8 games (all starts) for the Indians last season and he was 1-1 with a 6.57 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. He has now pitched in 67 games (52 starts) in his major league career and he is 13-26 with 1 save, a 5.12 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Reyes might be able to help the Indians in the last couple months of 2010 if everything goes right with his rehab.

24-year old righty swinging 1B/OF Matt LaPorta has underwent arthroscopic surgery on hit left hip and left big toe that will keep him out of action for the next 4-6 months. This will make him questionable for the start of the 2010 season in which he was likely to be the starting 1B for the Indians. LaPorta played in 52 games for the Tribe as a rookie last season and he was 46 for 181 (.254 avg, .750 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 7 homers, 21 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The Indians are depending on LaPorta next season so they better hope he’s a quick healer.

The Indians have shut down righty reliever Joe Smith with a sprained left knee. Smith pitched in 37 games (0 starts) for the Indians this year and he was 0-0 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. The Indians hope that Smith will be able to help them later in ball games next season.