The Indians have placed Nick Swisher on the disabled list with what they are calling left knee inflammation. (This is the roster move that clears the way for Francisco Lindor's arrival.) Swisher had surgery on both knees last August, and has struggled mightily since making his 2015 debut in early May.
His batting line this season is .198/.261/.297, which gives him a wRC+ of 57, which is in the bottom 10% of all players with 100+ plate appearances. He was also in the bottom 10% for players with 400+ PA last year, when his wRC+ was 75. He ranks 227th in wRC+ among 236 players with 500+ PA since the beginning of last season. He provides no base running or defensive value, and FanGraphs has him at -2.2 WAR during that time, which puts him dead last among those 236 players.
Yes, Swisher has been arguably the worst player in baseball.
Swisher is 34 years old, which isn't really old, but isn't young. I long ago stopped thinking he would rebound into anything resembling a productive player, and while I don't wish injury on him, I prefer the 25-man roster not include him. He just doesn't offer anything in terms of on-the-field help. My hope is that, much as they did with Jason Giambi last year, the Indians find a way to keep him on the DL beyond the next 15 days. We'll see.