Cleveland Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner, who has been on the disabled list since May 20, may be close to returning to the lineup, says Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
Hafner suffered an oblique injury in a game against the Royals on May 17. At the time of the injury, it was estimated that Hafner would be out three to four weeks; as of today, it would be four weeks, so he may be a little behind schedule as to his return to the major leagues.
According to Bastian, Hafner’s rehab would be at Double-A Akron, possibly starting today; no length of the rehab assignment has been established. It’s clear, though, that the Tribe misses Hafner’s bat. He was hitting .345/.409/.549 with 5 HR and 22 RBI in 113 at-bats when the injury occurred; the Indians were 26-13 and in first place by five games after that May 17 game.
Since then the Tribe has gone 9-16. They’ll welcome Hafner back to the lineup as soon as he’s ready.