The Indians reduced their spring roster by seven today, assigning four players to the Columbus roster: CA Carlos Santana, OF Jordan Brown, RHP Jeanmar Gomez, and RHP Hector Rondon.

INF Carlos Rivero and OF Nick Weglarz were optioned to Double-A Akron. INF Beau Mills was assigned to minor league camp.

In addition, INF Brian Bixler has cleared waivers and been outrighted to the Clippers roster. Bixler was designated for assignment Wednesday to make room for newly acquired Anderson Hernandez. Hernandez was claimed off waivers from the Mets.

Top catching prospect Carlos Santana headlines the group of reassignments. Santana is expected to be the Clippers starting catcher on Opening Day. He was 4-for-16 with two doubles and one RBI in big league camp.

Reigning International League batting champ Jordan Brown is expected to be a key cog in the Clippers lineup once he recovers from a torn meniscus in his right knee. Brown underwent surgery after injuring the knee during outfield drills two weeks ago.

Jeanmar Gomez, only 22 years old, will find a spot in the Clippers starting rotation after posting a 10-4 mark (22 starts) and a 3.43 ERA in Akron last season. Gomez threw a perfect game on May 21, 2009 against Trenton.

Hector Rondon will be a top-of-the-rotation starter for the Clippers this year. He is considered a top pitching prospect and posted a combined 3.38 ERA between Akron and Columbus (25 starts).

I'm headed to sunny Goodyear this weekend. Look for daily spring training audio reports, blog entries, video interviews and much more!

The Indians announced they've claimed INF Anderson Hernandez off waivers from the New York Mets. To make room for Hernandez on the club's 40-man roster, INF Brian Bixler has been designated for assignment.

Hernandez, 27, combined to hit .251 in 123 games with Washington and the Mets. He started the 2009 season on the disabled list and played one game at Triple-A Syracuse before heading to the Nationals. The Santo Domingo, DR native was traded on August 6 to New York.

Hernandez owns a career .245 Major League average with 4 HR and 57 RBI over five seasons (186 games).

Bixler was acquired from Pittsburgh on January 18 after splitting the 2009 season between Triple-A and the majors. He was 4-for-16 (.250) with 1 RBI in 11 Cactus League games this spring.

Here's a great story about former Cincinnati GM Dick Wagner and his St. Patrick's Day extravaganza... How St. Patrick's became baseball's holiday (Tom Singer, MLB.com)

I've purchased my green Clippers hat. Have you? Clippers online store

The Indians announced they've acquired RHP Omar Aguilar from the Brewers in exchange for LHP Chuck Lofgren.

Aguilar, 25, was 3-1 with a 4.72 ERA and 14 saves in 41 appearances with the High-A and Double-A Brewers affiliates. A 30th round draft pick in 2005, Aguilar was roughed up in the Arizona Fall League. He worked nine games (12.2 IP) and allowed 10 runs on 16 hits with 10 walks.

Aguilar is 13-9 with a 3.87 career ERA over five seasons (136 appearances).

Lofgren went a combined 9-11 with a 4.15 ERA in 25 starts between Akron and Columbus last year before being selected by Milwaukee in the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings in December. "The Big Swede" needed to stay on the Brewers' Major League roster for the entire 2010 season or be offered back to the Indians for $25,000.

Lofgren, 24, carries a career 45-35 mark with a 3.97 ERA (119 starts over 5 years). The Brewers paid $50,000 to acquire Lofgren via Rule 5.

The Indians today optioned LHP Kelvin De La Cruz to Double-A Akron.

The club also re-assigned RHP Jason Grilli, RHP Zach Putnam and RHP Alex White to minor league camp.

There are currently 55 players in major league spring training. Sixteen are non-roster invites (non 40-man players).

There are 18 pitchers, four catchers, ten infielders and seven outfielders currently on the 40-man roster.

Updated spring roster: Roster2010ST_roster.pdf

Facebook Fan Night

When: April 13, 2010, 6:35pm

Where: Huntington Park

What: Clippers vs. Louisville

Click here to follow the Clippers on Facebook

 Tickets can be purchase by calling 614-462-5250 and asking for the Facebook Fans package.

Tickets MUST be purchased by Thursday, April 8th and are limited to the first 200 fans.

Party will take place on the Club Level Patio of Huntington Park, beginning at 5:00pm when gates open and last until the first pitch at 6:35pm.
- Guests must sign-in at the Right Field entrance and recieve a wristband
- "Facebook Fan Packages" cost $25 for adults and $22 for youth/seniors
- Each package includes a Reserved Seat in Section 3

Menu:
Hot Dogs
Hamburgers
Potato Salad
Baked Beans
Potato Chips
Cookies
Pop/Water
** Beer can be purchased for guests 21 and older **

Other features include:
Mascot appearances during pre-game party
Drawing for participation in Sugardale "Hot Dog Race" and Gameworks "Dice Roll"
Prize Give-aways & more!

The Indians announced the club has agreed to terms with the remaining thirty-two (32) unsigned members of the club's 40-man roster. Today the Indians announced the signings of the following players to one year Major League contracts for the 2010 season.

RHP Hector Ambriz

INF Brian Bixler

OF Michael Brantley

INF Asdrubal Cabrera

RHP Carlos Carrasco

OF Shin-Soo Choo

OF Trevor Crowe

LHP Kelvin De La Cruz

INF Jason Donald

RHP Jeanmar Gomez

INF Wes Hodges

LHP David Huff

INF/OF Matt LaPorta

LHP Aaron Laffey

RHP Jensen Lewis

CA Lou Marson

INF Andy Marte

RHP Justin Masterson

RHP Chris Perez

LHP Rafael Perez

INF Carlos Rivero

RHP Hector Rondon

CA Carlos Santana

LHP Tony Sipp

RHP Joe Smith

LHP Jeremy Sowers

RHP Mitch Talbot

RHP Jesse Todd

CA Wyatt Toregas

INF Luis Valbuena

OF Nick Weglarz

RHP Anthony Reyes

The remaining 40-man members under contract are as follows:

RHP Fausto Carmona -  $4.9M ('10), $6.1M ('11), club options for '12-'14

RHP Jake Westbrook - $11M ('10)

RHP Kerry Wood - $10.5M ('10), $11M (club option for '11)

CA Mike Redmond - $850K ('10)

INF Russell Branyan - $2M ('10), $5M (mutual option for '11)

INF Jhonny Peralta - $4.6M ('10)

OF Grady Sizemore - $5.6M ('10), $7.5M ('11), $8.5 (club option for '12)

DH Travis Hafner - $11M ('10), $13M ('11), $13M ('12)

The Indians announced that Jordan Brown underwent surgery on his right knee yesterday at the Cleveland Clinic. The procedure was performed by Dr. Rick Parker.

Parker performed a medial meniscectomy on Brown's right knee after Jordan was injured during morning outfield drills in Goodyear, AZ on Saturday. Brown is expected to return to Goodyear on Monday to continue rehabillitation with a return to play estimate of four to eight weeks.

Jordan Brown, the reigning International League batting champ, tore a meniscus in his right knee during outfield drills Friday and will have arthroscopic surgery this week in Cleveland.

Brown, likely to headline the 2010 Clippers roster, will almost assuredly miss Opening Day on April 8th.

Veteran pitcher Jason Grilli is headed for season-ending surgery on his torn right quadriceps.

MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince has more here.

Paul Hoynes, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Goodyear, Ariz. - Left-hander Tony Sipp allowed two runs in the third inning as coach Mike Sarbaugh's team beat third base coach Steve Smith's team, 3-2, as the Indians played a four-inning intrasquad game today at Goodyear Ballpark.

Read more...