Kipnis is Cleveland bound

Triple-A Columbus second baseman Jason Kipnis is Cleveland bound and will be activated before the game on Friday. Since he is not on the 40-man roster, the Indians have designated outfielder/first baseman Jared Goedert for assignment. Infielder Luis Valbuena was already optioned to Columbus today, so a spot on the 25-man roster is already open.

With Valbuena leaving it means the Indians are short a middle infielder, but with Kipnis in tow that player very well would have to be Orlando Cabrera who takes over the utility gig. Kipnis is expected to play second base, but with the Indians thin in the outfield they may consider him there....but if they do that then they will need to make another move to add an infielder, possibly to option out Ezequiel Carrera for Jason Donald.

Bottom line, it looks more like that the Indians will go with the foursome of Michael Brantley, Travis Buck, Ezequiel Carrera, and Austin Kearns in the outfield for now and will have Kipnis play second base.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Posted in: breaking news