We are ever closer to reducing to 25 men in camp as the most recent set of cuts brought the Indians to just 37 players left in Goodyear. There were definitely some surprises this time around as two players who were considered possibilities, Bruce Chen and C.C. Lee, were reassigned to minor league camp. There was also some disappointment for many fans as Francisco Lindor was also sent down, an inevitability that has now been made real. For everyone else, new additions and promotions are marked in green while players dropped from a starting spot or removed entirely will be listed in red. The original group can still be seen back here.
Starting Lineup
C(1) Yan Gomes
Options: Perez
Gomes will be the starting catcher barring injury.
1B(2) Carlos Santana
Options: Moss
Removed: Swisher
Santana will be the starting first baseman barring injury. It has been announced that Swisher will not play first base this year due to knee stress.
2B(3) Jason Kipnis
Options: Aviles and Ramirez
Kipnis will be the starting second baseman barring injury.
SS(4) Jose Ramirez
Options: Aviles
With the cut of Lindor, Ramirez has now guaranteed himself the starting short stop role as long as he remains healthy. At least until Lindor stays in AAA long enough to avoid 2015 counting towards his service time.
3B(5) Lonnie Chisenhall
Options: Santana, Aviles and Ramirez
Chisenhall will be the starting third baseman barring injury.
LF(6) Michael Brantley
Options: Moss, Murphy, Bourn and Tyler Holt
Brantley will be the starting left fielder barring injury or change of heart.
CF(7) Michael Bourn
Options: Brantley, Moss and Holt
Bourn will be the starting center fielder barring injury or a return of good sense.
RF(8) Brandon Moss
Options: Murphy and Holt
Moss has continued to hit Spring Training pitching and still looks healthy as a full time player in right. Assuming this continues, he will be the starting right fielder.
DH(9) David Murphy
Options: Nick Swisher, Moss, Chisenhall, Santana and Aguilar
There is still a slight chance that Swisher will make the team out of Spring, but since he is yet to play in actual Major League game action, that chance continues to dwindle. If he doesn’t, expect Murphy to move up the depth chart from the reserve outfielder to the starting DH. He will be more likely to split time with the others listed as options, however, than Swisher would have been.
Bench
C2(10) Roberto Perez
Options: Brett Hayes
Removed: Santana, Adam Moore
Since Santana hasn’t played a single game behind the plate since early last year, Perez appears to have this spot under total control barring an injury to him or Gomes.
CIF(11) Mike Aviles
Options: Moss, Chisenhall, Aguilar, Jerry Sands and Michael Martinez
Removed: Erik Gonzalez, Ryan Rohlinger, Audy Ciriaco
A few more cuts here have clarified the bench here, although Aviles was almost certainly going always going to be the back-up to Chisenhall, Ramirez and Kipnis.
OF(12) Ryan Raburn
Options: Murphy, Moss, Bourn, Aviles, Raburn and Holt
Removed: Carlos Moncrief, James Ramsey, Destin Hood
While Raburn was on the cusp of being beaten out by a more deserving hitter, Swisher’s delayed reemergence has possibly opened up another roster spot. This moves Murphy back into a starting role, assuming his recent twisted ankle isn’t a big deal, and Raburn into the primary reserve outfielder role. This could be dangerous as he is a poor defender in both right and left and is unable to play center, so this position should possibly be considered a back-up DH role with Aviles and Murphy giving breaks in the outfield.
IF/OF2/RP8(13) Jesus Aguilar
Options: Holt, Sands, Martinez or any player listed below as a Mid RP option.
Removed: Francisco Lindor
This roster spot is essentially the one replacing Swisher on the 25 man roster and will likely not be officially decided until there are just a few days left in the Spring. With no clear favorite, Aguilar seems as good a choice as any as he provides right handed power that is largely missing in the current line-up. He would be a solid DH platoon option for Murphy and could spell Santana at first if he needed to DH. Another good choice would be Holt who would give the Indians an actual center field back-up and pinch runner as detailed here.
Starting Rotation
Ace(14) Corey Kluber
SP2(15) Carlos Carrasco
Options: Bauer, Salazar and House
While no official statements have been made, Carrasco and Bauer are guaranteed rotation spots with just the order to be determined.
SP3(16) Trevor Bauer
Options: Carrasco, Salazar and House
See Carrasco above.
SP4(17) Danny Salazar
Options: Carrasco, Bauer and Salazar
Salazar has had mixed results this Spring, striking out nine in 7.2 innings while giving up three home runs. Of course, Bauer has allowed five home runs, Kluber four and Shaw three, so it may have more to do with the weather and hitters who are ahead of pitchers than actual talent. The real competition for the final two spots now includes Salazar, House, McAllister and Tomlin.
SP5(18) T.J. House
Options: Carrasco, Bauer, Salazar, McAllister and Josh Tomlin
Removed: Shaun Marcum
House has pitched more innings than any other Tribesman this Spring with 17.2 innings and 15 strike outs, but has struggled as have the rest. With all the offense in Arizona, this shouldn’t be much worry and you should expect House to make the starting rotation as the Tribe’s only left hander.
Bullpen
CP(19) Cody Allen
Options: Shaw and Crockett
Allen will be the closer barring injury.
SU(20) Bryan Shaw
Options: Allen, Rzepczynski and Atchison
Shaw will be the set-up man barring injury.
LHP(21) Marc Rzepczynski
Options: Crockett, Nick Hagadone and House
Removed: Nick Maronde, Bruce Chen, Scott Downs, Michael Roth
Rzepczynski will be the primary left handed match-up man barring injury.
RHP(22) Scott Atchison
Options: Shaw, Tomlin, Austin Adams, McAllister, Manship and Anthony Swarzak
Removed: C.C. Lee, Dustin Molleken, Bryan Price
Atchison will be the primary late inning right hander barring injury.
Mid RP(23) Kyle Crockett
Options: Rzepczynski, Atchison, Tomlin, Adams, Hagadone, McAllister, Jeff Manship and Swarzak
While all the reliever cuts are listed above by handedness, they affect this position just as much, especially Chen and Lee, who were originally predicted to get a spot. The absence of seven pitchers in camp gives Crockett that much reassurance that he will make the team out of camp.
Mid RP(24) Zach McAllister
Options: Same as above
While it originally appeared that there would be room for just one between Tomlin and McAllister in the bullpen, with Chen gone, there may be room for two. In addition, if Francona decides to go with an eight man bullpen, either by replacing Swisher’s spot with a pitcher or by beginning the season with just four starting pitchers, there would seem to be plenty of room. The importance of this is that both pitchers are out of options and could be lost for good if sent to AAA at any point. So far this Spring, McAllister has been the Indians best pitcher with a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings with 15 strike outs, but this means very little. Just remember the 2014 Spring when Kluber had a 5.60 ERA and Justin Masterson had a 1.09 mark.
Long RP (25) Josh Tomlin
Options: McAllister and House
See McAllister above.
All Removed: Carlos Moncrief (AAA), Erik Gonzalez (AA), Nick Maronde (MiLB) and James Ramsey (MiLB) from the second set of cuts.
C.C. Lee (AAA), Audy Ciriaco (MiLB), Adam Moore (MiLB), Francisco Lindor (MiLB), Destin Hood (MiLB), Dustin Molleken (MiLB), Michael Roth (MiLB) and Bryan Price (MiLB) from the third set of cuts.
Bruce Chen, Scott Downs, Shaun Marcum and Ryan Rohlinger are still in Major League camp, but have been told they will not make the 25 man roster.
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