A Jack Hannahan RBI single Wednesday night ended a marathon night at Progressive Field with the Indians winning 4-3 in 16 innings.

Hannahan, who has been Cleveland’s hottest hitter as of late, also hit a pair of home runs in the game.

The Indians won for the fifth time in six games to remain 5 1/2 games behind first-place Detroit, while climbing back into second place a half game in front of the White Sox.

CLEVELAND — Indians manager Manny Acta had some surprising news prior to Wednesday’s game against Oakland — designated hitter Travis Hafner will play again before the season is complete.

There was strong speculation that Hafner’s year was over after he was placed on the disabled list with a right foot strain and Cleveland traded for Jim Thome to replace him in the lineup. But things changed after an evaluation by team doctors Wednesday.

“He got some encouraging news. I think we’re going to be able to see him again,” Acta said. “We don’t have a timetable yet, but that’s encouraging news to know that he’s going to join our club and be able to play again this year.”

With neither Thome and Hafner able to play on a nightly basis, Acta envisions a platoon at DH.

“Coming from the injury that Hafner’s going to be coming back from, obviously he’s not going to be able to play every single day,” Acta said. “Thome’s in the same situation, so they’ll share duties.

“It’ll give me an advantage now in September. I’ll be able to pinch run for either of them in the seventh now, and then I’ll have whichever didn’t play to bat in the ninth.”

Hafner, who has been on the DL twice this season, is batting .281 with 11 home runs and 49 RBIs in 82 games.

Tradin’ times

The Indians’ last opportunity to trade for a player came to an end at midnight Wednesday. A club that already added Ubaldo Jimenez, Kosuke Fukudome and Thome had not made a move by gametime.

“(General manager) Chris (Antonetti) has continued trying to improve this team the best way possible. I have been a witness to that,” Acta said. “But it is a complicated process.”

Grady gab

Grady Sizemore (right knee) began a rehab assignment Wednesday for Double-A Akron, serving as the designated hitter and going 0-for-3. He is expected to play six innings in center field for the Aeros tonight, but there is still no timetable for his return.

“It all depends on his progress,” Acta said. “That’s why we can’t sit here and say three to four days or whatever. It all depends on how he feels and when he feels he is going to be able to come up here and contribute.”

Brantley bit

Outfielder Michael Brantley underwent surgery on his right hand Wednesday and is expected to make a full recovery.

Brantley was shut down for the season Sunday. He hit .266 with seven homers and 46 RBIs in 114 games.

Finally, Fukudome

After a slow start, Fukudome has settled in to his new surroundings. The outfielder acquired at the trading deadline from the Cubs entered Wednesday batting .320 (24-for-75) with seven doubles, a homer and eight RBIs over his last 19 games.

He was batting .283 in his first 30 games with Cleveland through Tuesday, driving in his 13th run for the Indians with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. He had the same RBI total in 87 games for the Cubs.

“I have to give it to him,” Acta said. “From Day 1, he’s been good in the clubhouse. It takes time to get comfortable with new surroundings and new teammates. He’s give us everything he’s got. He’s done a lot of good things.”

“I think I’m getting used to the team,” Fukudome said through an interpreter. “I still have pitchers I don’t know, but I think I’m able to do some things I want to do at the plate.”

Minor details

Outfielder Trevor Crowe had one of Triple-A Columbus’ two hits Tuesday in a 2-1 loss at Louisville. It was Crowe’s first game with the Clippers after his rehab assignment was transferred from the Arizona League Indians. … As a pinch hitter on his 24th birthday Tuesday, High-A Kinston infielder Tyler Cannon drove in the game-winning run with a single in a 2-1 victory over Frederick. Cannon, a 12th-round draft pick last year, entered Wednesday batting .253 with six homers and 38 RBIs in 85 games.

Roundin’ third

Today is the day that major league rosters can expand to 40 players. … Of the nine players in the Indians’ lineup Wednesday, six of them had zero or one homer on the season. … Cleveland’s game time at Texas on Sept. 14 has been moved from 8:05 p.m. to 7:05 to accommodate ESPN, which will televise the game nationally. It will be blacked out in Cleveland but can be seen locally on STO. … Today, 12:05, MLB.TV/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM. Carmona (6-12, 4.85) vs. Gonzalez (11-11, 3.45).

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

Indians starting pitcher Jeanmar Gomez pitches in the first inning against the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday. (AP photo)

CLEVELAND — The Indians got another quality pitching performance Tuesday night at Progressive Field. And this time they even mixed in some offense.

Another strong effort from Cleveland’s pitching staff was backed by rare run support, with the Indians using the combination to turn back Oakland 6-2 for their fourth win in five games.

Injuries have depleted the Indians’ 25-man roster but not its heart, with a makeshift club still staying alive in the race for the Central Division crown despite long odds.

“We’re battling, that’s the main thing,” said manager Manny Acta, whose team trails the first-place Tigers by 5 1/2 games and the second-place White Sox by a half game. “I feel like we still have a couple streaks in us. We just have to take care of our business.

“The pitching is there. When you have that, you have a chance to win every night.”

Right-hander Jeanmar Gomez gave the Indians more than a chance Tuesday, pitching like a veteran that has been in the rotation all season, not a youngster making his third start of the year.

Gomez was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to start the second game of the series against Oakland and earned the right to make at least another one after allowing an unearned run on six hits over six innings.

Gomez, who went 4-5 with a 4.68 ERA in 11 starts for Cleveland last year, didn’t allow a run over his first four innings before his own error led to one in the fifth. He pitched a scoreless sixth and turned it over to the bullpen, which allowed a run but preserved the win without having to use closer Chris Perez.

“Gomez threw the ball very well for us,” Acta said. “He got into a very good groove. He had very good movement on his fastball. That’s what made him effective last year.

“The young man gave us a lift today.”

Despite being thrust into a pennant race with just a pair of big league outings under his belt this year, Gomez, who went 10-7 with a 2.55 ERA in 21 starts at Columbus, showed no nerves.

He outdueled Oakland starter Trevor Cahill, an All-Star last year, who allowed five runs on seven hits over 5 1/3 innings.

“I don’t feel any pressure,” Gomez said. “I tried to do what I’ve been doing at Triple-A.”

The Indians, who had played four straight one-run games coming in, appeared to be headed in that direction again, leading 2-1 through five innings.

But Cleveland broke it open with a four-run sixth that was powered by a pair of two-run home runs from Carlos Santana and Jack Hannahan.

Along with Kosuke Fukudome, who plated the Indians’ first two runs with a double in the third inning, Santana and Hannahan have been Cleveland’s hottest hitters as of late.

Santana, who homered for the second straight night, is batting .302 (29-for-96) with six homers and 18 RBIs over his last 24 games. Hannahan has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games, batting .429 (18-for-42) with a homer and 10 RBIs over the stretch.

The offense is expected from Santana, who began the season hitting in the cleanup spot, but not Hannahan — a defensive-minded third baseman with a career batting average of .224 in two seasons prior to this year.

“I’m just doing what the pitcher allows me to do and not trying to do too much,” said Hannahan, who was the only Indian with a multihit game, going 3-for-4.

Every player in Cleveland’s lineup save Shelley Duncan, who was replaced after being hit by a pitch in the sixth, had at least one hit.

Check back for more Tribe coverage.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.

CLEVELAND — As expected, right-hander Jeanmar Gomez was recalled from Triple-A Columbus to start Tuesday night against Oakland. What wasn’t expected was the player he replaced on the 25-man roster.

To clear room for Gomez, first baseman Matt LaPorta was optioned to Columbus, leaving the big league roster for the first time this season.

“We’re in a very tough spot with all the injuries in the infield and the outfield,” said manager Manny Acta, whose club has seven players on the disabled list and is without Shin-Soo Choo (left oblique) for at least two weeks. “First base is the only place we have some depth.”

LaPorta may have been a victim of numbers, but his sagging statistics didn’t help matters. The highly-touted slugger acquired in the CC Sabathia trade with Milwaukee in 2008 is hitting just .238 with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs in 97 games.

“There’s been a lot of inconsistency,” Acta said. “He still shows flashes of the player we envision him to be, but he still needs work on his plate discipline. He’s a guy we project to be a power guy. It just hasn’t happened yet.

“He’s made some strides, but the expectations for a guy like that are higher than that. So far, it’s been a challenge for him.”

LaPorta, the key cog in the Sabathia trade could be feeling the pressure to produce after failing to accomplish as much during his first two seasons in the big leagues with the Indians in 2009-10.

“If you let that affect you, it’s on you,” Acta said. “It’s part of life. Everyone feels some pressure doing whatever they’re doing.”

With LaPorta gone, Carlos Santana is expected to get the majority of playing time at first, while Lou Marson handles the catching duties on a regular basis. Shelley Duncan and Jack Hannahan can also play first in a pinch.

Gomez, 0-2 with a 5.70 ERA in two spot starts for the Indians this year, could finish the season in the rotation if disabled right-hander Josh Tomlin (ligament strain right elbow) is shut down.

Comeback trail

Grady Sizemore (right knee) will begin a minor league rehab assignment tonight at Double-A Akron, serving as the designated hitter for the Aeros. He is expected to play center field for six innings the following night.

The seasons for Cleveland’s top four minor league affiliates end Monday, so if Sizemore needs more rehab work, it will come from one of the playoff qualifiers, most likely, Columbus.

Crowe’s nest

Outfielder Trevor Crowe (right shoulder surgery) had his minor league rehab assignment transferred to Columbus after batting .444 (8-for-18) with two homers and eight RBIs in six games for the Arizona League Indians.

Crowe, who has missed the entire season after undergoing surgery March 30, was expected to start for the Clippers on Tuesday.

Minor details

Columbus manager Mike Sarbaugh was named International League Manager of the Year. The Clippers, who clinched first place in the IL’s West Division last Tuesday, entered Tuesday with the league’s best record (85-53). … Columbus infielders Jason Kipnis and Luis Valbuena were named to the IL’s postseason All-Star team. Kipnis, who is currently on the disabled list for the Indians, hit .280 with 12 homers and 55 RBIs in 92 games for the Clippers. Valbuena was batting .304 with 16 homers and a team-leading 73 RBIs in 107 games through Monday.

Roundin’ third

Closer Chris Perez’s 30 saves through Monday are the most since Joe Borowski saved 45 in 2007. … Entering Tuesday, 13 of the Indians’ last 26 games and four straight had been decided by one run. Cleveland is 5-8 in those games and 23-34 overall in one-run games (17-8 at home). … Jim Thome entered Tuesday with one hit (a homer) in 11 at-bats (four games) since joining the Indians in a trade from the Twins. … Tonight, 7:05, STO/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM. Jimenez (8-10, 4.71) vs. Harden (4-2, 4.55).

Check back for more Tribe coverage.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.