Tribe Transactions
April 5
Placed SS/3B Paul Hendrix on the Lynchburg (High A) Disabled List
When Hendrix returns, I think he'll play mostly third base, as both Ivan Castillo and Yu-Cheng Chang are on the roster.
April 7
Sent OF Lonnie Chisenhall and RHP Tommy Hunter on a rehab assignment to Columbus (AAA)
By the time you're reading this, Chisenhall was supposed to get at least 3 games' worth of at-bats in preparation for him to come off the DL in time for the Tampa Bay series. But because Columbus' first three games have been rained/snowed out, Chisenhall didn't get those ABs.
Placed RHP Craig Stammen, RHP Enosil Tejeda, and OF Anthony Gallas on the Columbus (AAA) disabled list
Note that Stammen is not on the 40-man roster, so when he is eligible to return to action, he'll need to be added. Of the four major-league players that are out of action (Brantley, Chisenhall, Hunter), Stammen is going to take the longest to return.
April 10
Traded OF Zach Walters and OF James Ramsey to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Cash Considerations
Because the Dodgers were planning on claiming both players, the Indians had next to no leverage because they couldn't pull the players back. And so Walters and Ramsey will remain teammates, though now to the Dodgers organization. The Dodgers have three outfielders (Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier, and Alexander Guerrero) on the DL, plus another one (Scott Van Slyke) that is day-to-day, so they can certainly use an extra two outfielders now.
It is worth noting that while both players had some promise, they were DFAed at a time when the Indians' projected starting outfield were either injured (Brantley, Chisenhall) or suspended (Almonte). Walters and Ramsey didn't perform at a time when if they had, they could have easily made this club, or at the very least, stayed on the roster.
Selected MLB Transactions
April 5
Arizona Diamondbacks transferred CF AJ Pollock to the 60-day Disabled List (fractured right elbow)
Milwaukee Brewers placed RHP Matt Garza on the 15-day Disabled List (right lat strain)
Pollock is very likely out for the season; he underwent surgery this past week. Last year Pollock was one of the best position players in the National League, posting a 7.4 WAR (trailing only Bryce Harper, teammate Paul Goldschmidt, and Joey Votto).
April 6
Los Angeles Angels placed LHP Andrew Heaney on the 15-day Disabled List (left flexor muscle strain)
Washington Nationals placed CF Ben Revere on the 15-day Disabled List (right oblique strain)
Heaney's MRI came back negative, so he'll avoid surgery.
April 8
Chicago Cubs placed C/OF Kyle Schwarber on the 15-day Disabled List (torn ACL/LCL in left knee)
Schwarber is done for the season after collision in the outfield tore two of his knee ligaments. The Cubs have the offensive depth to survive this blow, but even so it's a major loss for a team that seems primed for a championship run. Schwarber in his brief major-league career has been an offensive force in the middle of the Cubs order, and so the team has moved him into the outfield in order to get him regular at-bats. The longer-term question is whether Schwarber can catch again (his primary position in the minors), and because the Cubs play in the National League, how they'll be able to incorporate him into the lineup in future years.
April 9
San Diego Padres placed RHP Tyson Ross on the 15-day Disabled List (right shoulder inflammation)
Los Angeles Dodgers placed LF Carl Crawford on the 15-day Disabled List (lower back)
This Dodgers now have 11 players on the major-league disabled lists, which is quite astonishing. Put it this way: the Indians' Opening Day payroll, including players on the DL and payments to players no longer with the team, was around $93M. The salaries of Dodgers players currently on the DL is around $92M.
April 10
Minnesota Twins placed CF Danny Santana on the 15-day Disabled List (right hamstring strain); recalled OF Max Kepler from Rochester (AAA)
The Twins are not an organization that suffers from a lack outfield talent; Kepler showed up in many Top 100 prospect lists this winter, and John Sickels gave him a B+ grade this winter (same as Clint Frazier and Bradley Zimmer). For now he'll play a reserve role for the Twins, but eventually he'll be a starting outfielder for somebody.
Latest 25-man/40-man Roster
No WAR data this week, though even if it did exist, the Indians didn't play very many games anyway.
On the roster front, both Walters and Ramsey are out of the organization, while Josh Martin may be on his way back; he was designated for assignment by the Padres last Sunday, and if he clears waivers, the Padres will need to either offer him back to the Indians or the two teams will work out a deal so that San Diego would keep Martin. If Martin does return, he would be off the 40-man roster, in the same situation he was before being selected in the Rule 5 Draft.
As for the three players on the DL: Lonnie Chisenhall should return at some point this week; he's eligible to be activated on Tuesday (the 12th), though the rainouts in Columbus may have delayed that a day or so. Tommy Hunter should also be returning fairly quickly, as he was also sent to Columbus on a rehab assignment. I'm less certain about Michael Brantley's timetable, as although he's working out, there doesn't seem to be any immediate plans to get him into any minor-league games.
I would expect Dan Otero and Collin Cowgill to be optioned to Columbus when Chisenhall and Hunter returns. I'm less certain about the move to clear space for Michael Brantley. I would assume it would be a reliever, but nobody else in the bullpen has an option remaining. Ross Detwiler or Joba Chamberlain would be the DFA candidates.