CLEVELAND — Travis Hafner was expected to play in three minor league rehab games, but the Indians cut it off after two, activating the designated hitter from the disabled list Friday for the series opener with Pittsburgh.
“He felt that he was ready to go,” manager Manny Acta said of Hafner, who spent close to a month on the injured list with a strained right oblique. “He felt he saw enough pitches. He was good in those two games and we could use him over here, so what’s one more game?”
Hafner played in two rehab games for Double-A Akron, going 3-for-6 with a double.
“I wanted to be in Cleveland as soon as possible and I was pushing for that,” he said. “I woke up (Friday) morning and felt pretty good. I’m ready to go.”
The Indians’ offense suffered mightily without Hafner, who was hitting .354 with five home runs and 22 RBIs in 32 games prior to the injury. They went 10-18 in his absence, scoring three or fewer runs in 19 of the games, while his DH fill-ins batted just .183 with three homers and 12 RBIs over the span.
“It was about a month of an issue,” Acta said. “It’s just tough substituting a guy like him. We said from the start that we can’t afford to lose guys like him, Grady Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Santana and Asdrubal Cabrera for a long period of time. To win, we have to have all those guys healthy and playing to their capabilities, and it showed when he was out.
“People underestimate how much one hitter can change your lineup, especially a guy in the middle like him. It helps lengthen the lineup and gives a people a chance to hit in spots they’re more comfortable with.”
Hafner was in the lineup Friday, batting cleanup. Acta said he would not play tonight, returning Sunday and then playing on a regular basis from there.
All of Cleveland’s offensive woes can’t be traced to Hafner’s absence. The Indians have played much of the season with a slumping Choo and Santana, while the regular production they were receiving from a number of players in the lineup has dried up.
“We expect a few guys to hit consistently and I’m just a little concerned that it’s taken too long for those guys to come alive,” Acta said. “And now that some of those guys that were having success early in the year are not having it, that’s what you have — a team that’s having a tough time scoring more than three runs a game in the last three weeks.”
Outfielder Travis Buck was optioned back to Triple-A Columbus to clear room on the roster for Hafner. Buck, who made the team out of spring training, has hit .226 (21-for-93) with two homers and eight RBIs in 29 games during two stints with Cleveland.
Minor details
To clear room on the roster for Buck, Columbus placed third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall on the disabled with concussion symptoms. Chisenhall, one of the top prospects in the organization, sustained the injury on a slide last Saturday and had missed four straight games through Thursday. … Another top prospect, Infielder Jason Kipnis, has been hot lately for the Clippers, entering Friday batting .538 (14-for-26) with three homers, three triples and eight RBIs over his last six games. He was at .304 with eight homers and 41 RBIs in 63 games on the season through Thursday.
New additions
As of Friday afternoon, the Indians had signed nine of their draft picks, including third- and fourth-round selections, Jake Cisco, a right-hander out of Merced College (Calif.), and Jake Lowery, a catcher out of James Madison University.
Cleveland also signed an Ohio State product in RHP Drew Rucinski, a non-drafted free agent.
Roundin’ third
The series opener with Pittsburgh was the first of 15 straight interleague games for the Indians. … Former Indians Kenny Lofton and Carlos Baerga were in attendance for a meet and greet with fans. … Actress Valerie Bertinelli, of “One Day at a Time” fame and new sitcom “Hot in Cleveland,” was scheduled to throw out one of the ceremonial first pitches, but ran the ball to the plate and delivered it to ceremonial catcher, first base coach Sandy Alomar, and gave him a big hug. … Tonight, 7:05, STO/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM. Carrasco (6-3, 4.09) vs. Maholm (3-7, 3.12).
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.
