GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Only one of the anticipated exhibition debuts came off without a hitch Wednesday at Goodyear Ballpark.
Russell Branyan and Matt LaPorta were expected to play for the first time this spring in the Indians’ Catcus League game against the Padres — a 10-5 Cleveland victory — but only LaPorta answered the bell.
“(Russell’s) not ready yet,” Indians manager Manny Acta said of Branyan, who is recovering from a herniated disc in his lower back that ended his season prematurely last year with the Mariners. “Russell is still in the process of finishing his rehab. I think we knew this coming in.”
Acta, who said Branyan would make his debut Wednesday, gave no timetable for the slugger’s return.
“We have a lot of time left, so we’re going to take our time,” he said. “We’ve got to take care of this guy.”
Acta said Branyan has been taking ground balls and hitting on occasion but that he has yet to participate in “full” baseball activities.
“I think throughout the process he gets a little soreness in his back,” Acta said. “That’s normal.”
Branyan, 34, signed a one-year contract ($2 million) with the Indians this offseason, following a career year in Seattle in which he hit 31 home runs and drove in 76 runs in 116 games.
The high strikeout counts he produced in three other stints in Cleveland were still there as Branyan fanned 149 times in 431 at-bats. But the left-handed hitter also batted .251, one of the highest batting averages of his career. He was hitting over .300 in Seattle before the back problems surfaced.
LaPorta, who played three innings at first base Wednesday and logged one at-bat (a groundout to shortstop), is also coming off injuries. The big bounty from the CC Sabathia trade with Milwaukee during the 2008 season underwent two separate surgeries this winter on his left hip and left big toe.
LaPorta said it took longer to rehab after the toe surgery, but he is still ahead of Branyan, who was brought aboard in large part because the Indians didn’t feel LaPorta was ready to play first on a regular basis.
LaPorta did make a nice pick on a one-hop throw from shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera in the opening inning Wednesday, but Acta hasn’t seen enough of him to assess his status.
“We’ve been seeing him every day doing drills and stuff,” Acta said. “He swung the bat pretty well in an intrasquad game (Monday). It was only one at-bat (Wednesday). It’s too early to tell.”
LaPorta played in 52 games for Cleveland last year, batting .254 with seven homers and 21 RBIs. In 93 games for Triple-A Columbus last season, he hit .299 with 17 homers and 60 RBIs.
LaPorta’s attention has shifted from first base to left field, where he is vying for the starting job with Michael Brantley and Trevor Crowe. Brantley was also part of the Sabathia trade with the Brewers.
But he was just happy to get back on the field Wednesday.
“I feel like a kid getting ready for a little league game,” LaPorta said prior to his exhibition debut. “I had a tough time sleeping last night. I was so excited.”
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.
