Indians add three players to the 40-man roster

Scott Barnes

The Indians officially announced today that left-handed pitcher Scott Barnes, infielder Juan Diaz, and right-handed pitcher Danny Salazar have been added to the 40-man roster. They also designated infielder Luis Valbuena for assignment.

Barnes, 24, spent most of 2011 at Triple-A Columbus after two starts in Double-A Akron to begin the season, going a combined 8-4 with a 3.45 ERA in 18 games/17 starts (99.0 IP, 85 H, 36 BB, 107 K).   Over his last 10 starts with Columbus from May 24th to July 10th he was 5-3 with a 2.58 ERA (59.1 IP, 49 H, 19 BB, 63 K) before injuring his left knee in a start at Toledo on July 10th.  The injury turned out to be an ACL tear and he had season-ending surgeryater required surgery. At the time of the injury he ranked 4th in the International League in strikeouts (90), 7th in batting average against (.240), 10th in wins (7) and 17th in ERA (3.68).  The Indians acquired Barnes from the San Francisco Giants in July 2009 in exchange for infielder Ryan Garko.  He owns a four year minor league career record of 31-23 with a 3.87 ERA in 82 games (77 GS, 423.0 IP, 366 H, 155 BB, 435 K).

Diaz, 22, spent the entire 2011 regular season at Double-A Akron where he led the team in games (133), hits (133), total bases (192), multi-hit games (35) and doubles (24) after hitting .255 (133-522) with 24 2B, 4 3B, 9 HR & 60 RBI in 133 games.  The switch-hitting shortstop was 6th in the Eastern League in at bats and 16th in hits.  He was an Eastern League All Star and was promoted to Columbus for the postseason where he hit .250 (8-32) with 3 2B, 4 RBI and 5 runs scored in all 8 playoff games.  He was acquired from Seattle in June 2010 along with outfielder Ezequiel Carrera in exchange for infielder Russell Branyan.

Salazar, 21, was limited to eight starts between Lake County and the rookie Arizona Indians this past season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his right throwing elbow the previous August. In those eight combined starts he posted a 3.07 ERA (14.2 IP, 14 H, 4BB, 18 K). He owns a five year career minor league record of 15-15 with a 3.47 ERA in 60 starts (272.0 IP, 260 H, 82 BB, 198 K).

With the moves the 40-man roster is now at 40.

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: Danny Salazar,Juan Diaz,Scott Barnes