Chamberlain to make Indians' Opening Day Joba Chamberlain Spring: Tickets Schedule More Austin Adams Tom Gorzelanny Joe Thatcher

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1 Chamberlain to make Indians' Opening Day roster By Jordan Bastian / March 26th, 2016 GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Joba Chamberlain knew that there was a good chance that he could crack the Indians' bullpen this spring, but the veteran reliever was not going to take anything for granted. He came into camp on a Minor League deal, giving him no guarantees beyond the opportunity to compete. On Saturday morning, the work Chamberlain put in on and off the field, and his presence in Cleveland's clubhouse, paid off with a memorable call to manager Terry Francona's office. Chamberlain was informed that he will be a part of the Indians' Opening Day bullpen. "It was my job to lose at the end of the day," Chamberlain said. "Whether you're guaranteed a spot or not, you still have to go in and have a good spring and do things to get better, and make your team better and make yourself better. Coming in, I was going to do everything in my power to make this team, and I just felt I would bring a lot to the ballclub." Spring: Tickets Schedule More Beyond giving the good news to Chamberlain, Francona also had a couple of tough conversations with two more bullpen candidates. Righthander Austin Adams was optioned to Triple-A Columbus and lefty Tom Gorzelanny, who is in camp as a non-roster invitee, was told he will not make the team. If Gorzelanny accepts a Minor League assignment, he would be eligible for a $100,000 retention bonus and a June 1 opt-out clause. Lefthander Joe Thatcher, who was told Friday that he will not make the club, is in the same situation. Both relievers need to inform Cleveland of their decision by Tuesday. "[That was a] tough one. That's hard, like with Thatcher," Francona said of talking to Gorzelanny. "Some of it comes down to a little bit of the makeup of our team.... We told him, 'You have the right to go look,' which we respect. But, if there's not a Major League opportunity, we'd love to get him to Triple-A with us." Chamberlain will join a bullpen that projects to include closer Cody Allen and setup manbryan Shaw, along with right-handers Zach McAllister and Jeff Manship. Francona has hinted that the Indians will likely field a seven-man 'pen, with only one lefty. The two left-handers still in the mix are Kyle Crockett (on the 40-man roster) and Ross Detwiler (non-roster invitee). Righty Dan Otero (40-man roster) is also in the running for a job, along withjosh Tomlin, if he does not win the fifth-starter job. Right-handers Craig Stammen and Tommy Hunter also are in camp, but health issues will keep both pitchers out of the fold until at least late April or May. This spring, Chamberlain has posted a 3.38 ERA in eight Cactus League games, striking out seven and walking five in eight innings. Two of his outings were tracked by PITCHf/x, which had his fastball at 95.5 mph on average and his slider at 87.8 mph on average. Those marks are both an increase over his readings in 2015 (94.5 mph fastball and 85.9 mph slider), when he had a 4.88 ERA and split his time with the Tigers, Blue Jays and Royals organizations. "For him to come in as a non-roster, but to do it the way he did, he's been a teammate from Day One," Francona said. "He came out here in January. He has really thrown the ball well. This is exciting, I think, not just for him but for us, together. Getting to know him has been fun, and it'll get better. He likes to compete, he wants to win, and I think he'll be a really valuable piece down there." Prior to the Indians' Opening Day tilt against the Red Sox on April 4, the Tribe will honor a handful of signature moments in Progressive Field history. Included will be a celebration of the walk-off hit that Travis Hafner delivered to beat the Yankees in Game 2 of the American League Division Series in the 2007 playoffs. That was, of course, the "Bug Game," in which Chamberlain was swarmed by midges on the mound as a rookie with the Yankees. "Actually, Haf just texted me," Chamberlain said with a laugh. "I guess it all comes full circle. It'll be fun to play that part, too. I'll always be the Bug Guy. It could be worse. Now to be a part of it 10 years later, I started my career and now am starting another chapter of my career. I couldn't think of any better place." Brantley not likely to meet Opening Day goal By Jordan Bastian / March 26th, 2016 GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Indians headed into Spring Training knowing that it was unlikely that left fielder Michael Brantley would be ready in time for Opening Day. Brantley did his best to target the Tribe's season opener, but a recent setback will likely delay his comeback. On Saturday morning, Indians manager Terry Francona noted that Brantley was scheduled to have a followup exam with Dr. Mark Schickendantz for the outfielder's right shoulder, which was surgically repaired in November. Brantley will be held out of Major League games over the next week, making a stint on the disabled list to open the season a realistic scenario. "I think it was healthy for him to shoot for [Opening Day]," Francona said. "Anytime you have a goal, I think it's good. I hope he's not disappointed. I think maybe he understands probably better than anybody here what he means to this team. But, there's not one ounce of disappointment in me. I'm proud of him, man. "He busted his [tail] and he'll continue to do that. It might be a week later. It might be 10 days. He's going to be just fine. We've just got to do it right. It was easy to do it right, because of our trust with him and his honesty with us." With Brantley likely out of the Opening Day fold, Cleveland may look to carry five outfielders.rajai Davis, who can play left and center field, is a lock for the roster, along with center fielder Tyler Naquin and right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall. Collin Cowgill, Will Venable, Marlon Byrd and Robbie Grossman are among the other candidates for outfield roles. Utility man Jose Ramirez can offer a backup option for the outfielder, too. Brantley made rapid progress with his rehab through the early portion of Spring Training and made his Cactus League debut on March 19, going 1-for-3 with a home run. The Tribe's left fielder had three more plate appearances in Monday's game against the White Sox, but he has been held out of Cactus League play since that contest. Francona noted that Brantley's shoulder did not respond as well as hoped, leading the club to reduce his activity over the past few days. "He's going to talk to Schick again today and try to plan maybe a little course of action here," Francona said on Saturday morning. "He had a pretty good day in the training room getting loose, a better day than he had yesterday. We'll kind of wait and see what they say moving forward.

2 "I don't think you're going to see him playing in a Major League game this week, that's for sure. But, how we go about the next two, three, four days, I think we'll have a better idea, maybe [after the meeting with the doctor]." Brantley said it was important to be up front with the team about how he was feeling. "I just had some soreness after I played that last game," Brantley said. "I told myself and I told the medical staff that I was going to be honest, and I wouldn't come back unless I'm 100 percent. So, I'm just kind of listening to my body and taking it day by day, understanding that it's a different atmosphere in a game-like situation, and I've got to recover faster when I come back from games." While Opening Day is seemingly out of the picture, Brantley said he will do everything he can to return as soon as possible. "It's frustrating, because I won't be with my teammates, absolutely," Brantley said. "Any game that they're playing and I'm not, I'm going to be even more eager to get back there.... I don't want to come back where I'm limited, or I can only play a couple games and need a day off, or anything like that. I want to come back and be ready to go." Indians send Urshela to Triple-A to start '16 By Jordan Bastian / March 26th, 2016 GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Indians' message to Giovanny Urshela has been consistent: Cleveland believes he has the makings of an everyday third baseman in the big leagues. That feeling did not change on Saturday, when the Tribe optioned Urshela to Triple-A Columbus. For now, the Indians plan on opening the season with veteran Juan Uribe as their starter at third base, allowing Urshela some more development time in the Minor Leagues. Manager Terry Francona emphasized to Urshela to keep the big picture in mind. "We walked him through it again," Francona said. "[We explained] why we signed Uribe, that we thought spending some time in Triple-A would be really good for him. You don't always expect the players to evaluate it the same, because they're supposed to think they can do it. But, he understood. "We told him, 'We signed a guy for a year. We want you to be ready to come be the third baseman and stay here.' I thought he had a really good camp." Urshela, 24, has hit.306 with five home runs, 12 RBIs and a OPS through 16 Cactus League games this spring. Last season, the young third baseman hit.225 with a.608 OPS in 81 games for the Indians, while battling a variety of injury issues. Other items of note from Saturday: Right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall (right forearm tightness) was cleared by Dr. Thomas Graham to continue with game activities. Chisenhall took three at-bats in a Minor League game on Friday, met with the doctor and then headed back to the Minor League side on Saturday to get more at-bats. "It's hard to find somebody better than Graham to see him," Francona said. "I think that's really going to help ease [Chisenhall's] mind." The Indians optioned outfielder Joey Butler to Columbus on Saturday as part of the latest roster reductions. Butler -- claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay over the offseason -- hit.206 in 20 Cactus League games in his bid to win an outfield job. "That outfield is still pretty crowded," Francona said. "For us, we're thrilled he has an option, so we can keep him in the organization. He's shown the ability to really get hot. I'd be surprised if he doesn't help us at some point." The Indians also optioned shortstop Erik Gonzalez to Columbus on Saturday. The 24-year-old Gonzalez, who is ranked No. 12 among the Indians' Top 30 prospects by MLBPipeline.com, will be the everyday shortstop for the Clippers this season. Cleveland re-assigned catcher Adam Moore (non-roster invitee) to Minor League camp on Saturday. He and Anthony Recker project to handle the catching duties at Columbus, providing depth behind Tribe catchers Yan Gomes and Roberto Perez. Outfielder Shane Robinson, who is in camp as a non-roster invitee, has not played in a Cactus League game since March 18. The Indians indicated that Robinson is currently tending to a personal situation. Napoli hits one of three Tribe homers vs. Reds By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com March 26th, 2016 GGODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Reds prevailed in the Showdown of Ohio on Saturday at Goodyear Ballpark, coming from behind to defeat the Indians, 7-4, offsetting a trio of Cleveland homers. Yan Gomes, Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana all homered off Reds rookie right-handertim Melville, making his pitch for both a spot on the 40-man roster and in the starting rotation. Napoli and Santana went back-to-back with two out in the top of the sixth to erase a 3-2 Cincinnati lead. But Zack Cozart doubled home a pair of runs in the seventh off Indians reliever Cody Allento again give the Reds the edge as they scored four times in the inning. Eugenio Suarez homered and Blake Trahan doubled off Cleveland right-hander Carlos Carrasco, who pitched five innings, allowing three runs on six hits and two wild pitches, one of them allowing a run to score in the fifth inning. Melville worked six innings, pitching in and out of jams, allowing the four runs on seven hits, walking none and striking out five. The homers for Gomes and Napoli were their fourth each of the spring. "I felt strong, throwing strike one and getting ahead," Melville said. "I thought I threw really well." Up next for Indians: Right-hander Cody Anderson is scheduled to take the mound on Sunday, when the Indians host the Brewers in a 4:05 p.m. ET Cactus League clash at Goodyear Ballpark. Cleveland's battle for the fifth spot in the rotation is down to Anderson and righty Josh Tomlin. Relievers Kyle Crockett, Jeff Manship and Joba Chamberlain are also penciled in to pitch for the Tribe. Watch the action on MLB.TV. Up next for Reds: Cincinnati has a 4:05 p.m. ET game Sunday against the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. Alfredo Simon gets his second start of the spring. Simon has been the Reds' best starter since signing as a free agent on March 17, pitching three innings of shutout, no-hit ball and striking out four on Tuesday vs. the Cubs. Watch the action on MLB.TV. Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com and writes an MLBlog, Boomskie on Baseball. on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

3 Naquin earns spot on Indians' Opening Day roster By Jordan Bastian / March 25th, 2016 GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- A grin crept across Tyler Naquin's face as he thought back to his earliest baseball memories. He spoke of his dad and a few other fathers piecing together a makeshift league for their young sons, tossing down bases in a church pasture to begin teaching them the game. When Naquin was old enough to sign up for an official Little League team, he was assigned to the Indians. Fate is a funny thing, and it led to Naquin's meeting on Friday morning with manager Terry Francona, who informed the young outielder that his first Opening Day assignment will be with the Indians. Naquin called his parents and spoke with his brother. Tears were shed. "I'm speechless, man," Naquin said. "This only happens one time, so I still really don't have any words. It's a really cool situation for me and my family -- the opportunity to be able to help out, to help the Indians win a championship, to be a part of something special." With Cleveland's outfield situation in a state of flux this spring, the Indians told the 24-year-old Naquin that he had a realistic shot at competing for a job. Heading into Friday's game against the D-backs, all Naquin had done was hit.447 with a OPS in 15 Cactus League games while playing a strong center field. In the 7-5 loss to Arizona, Naquin singled in the first inning and launched a home run in the sixth that Statcast measured at 435 feet. The morning meeting was a memorable conversation not only for Naquin, but also for Francona. "That was one of the more touching ones for us," Francona said. "We've seen this kid come from two years ago, when in our one-on-one meetings he'd barely look at us, to growing into a man and accepting the challenge this spring. We've all seen what he's done with it. So to be able to tell him, and then see his reaction, it was hard not to be emotional." All that is clear right now is that Naquin -- Cleveland's top pick in the 2012 Draft and rated by MLBPipeline.com as the club's No. 9 prospect -- will be a part of the Tribe's outfield puzzle. It looks doubtful that left fielder Michael Brantley (right shoulder surgery in November) will be ready in time for Opening Day, meaning outfielder Rajai Davis will likely see action in left and center. Naquin, who has hit right-handed pitching well in his Minor League career, can patrol center at least as a platoon option. Lonnie Chisenhall projects to be the right fielder, but the Indians are looking for someone to pair with him, too. Others in the mix this spring include Joey Butler, Marlon Byrd, Collin Cowgill, Robbie Grossman and Shane Robinson. Utility man Jose Ramirez, while an infielder by trade, can also provide depth in the outfield, too. Abraham Almonte was in the plans for center field, but he Francona was not ready to discuss Naquin's potential role. "I don't know the rest of our team, yet," Francona said. "So, we'll get to that." Last season, Naquin split his time between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, hitting a combined.300 with seven home runs, 25 doubles and 27 RBIs in 84 games. He missed time in spring with a quad issue, dealt with a concussion in July and August and was shut down late in the year with hip soreness. The health woes convinced Naquin to take part in the team's offseason strength-and-conditioning camp. The results of Naquin's work over the winter culminated in an impressive spring. "He's going to break camp as a Major League player for the first time in his life," Francona said. "That's about as exciting as it gets. And I think, while we all recognize that he'll be nervous, and have maybe some anxiety, he certainly won't be scared. We like that about him." Jordan Bastian is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, follow him on Indians notebook: Joba Chamberlain to make Indians Opening Day roster; Giovanny Urshela, others sent down By Ryan Lewis GOODYEAR, Ariz: The Indians gained some clarity with their bullpen situation on Saturday, informing relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain that he ll make the Opening Day roster. Chamberlain, in camp as a non-roster invitee, is the fifth reliever to nail down a spot in the bullpen, joining Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Jeff Manship and Zach McAllister. Tommy Hunter will be in that mix around mid-may when he has recovered from core muscle surgery. In a week when you have a lot of tough conversations, that was certainly one of the more rewarding ones, said Indians manager Terry Francona. It s nice when you re making difficult decisions but guys step up, kinda like [Tyler] Naquin, and accept the challenge. [Chamberlain] likes to compete, he wants to win, and I think he ll be a really valuable piece down there. Chamberlain has been around the club since early January and this spring has a 3.38 ERA with seven strikeouts in eight innings pitched. Per Brooks Baseball, in two outings that were tracked, Chamberlain averaged 95.5 mph on his fastball and 87.8 on his slider this spring, both increases over this 2015 averages. It was my job to lose at the end of the day, Chamberlain said. Whether you re guaranteed a spot or not, you still have to go in and have a good spring and do things to get better and make your team better and make yourself better. Coming in, I was going to do everything in my power to make this team and just felt I would bring a lot to the ballclub. It also means Chamberlain will be at Progressive Field when the team celebrates Travis Hafner s walk-off hit to win Game 2 of the 2007 ALDS, otherwise known as The Bug Game. I guess it all comes full circle, Chamberlain said. It ll be fun to play that part, too. I ll always be The Bug Guy. It could be worse. Now to be a part of it 10 years later, I started my career and now am starting another chapter of my career. I couldn t think of any better place. On top of Chamberlain winning a spot, the team optioned Austin Adams to Triple-A Columbus and told non-roster invitee Tom Gorzelanny he won t make the club. The Indians are likely to open the season with seven relief pitchers, leaving two spots up for grabs between three candidates. Right-hander Dan Otero, left-hander Kyle Crockett and left-handed non-roster invitee Ross Detwiler are all vying for those spots, at least one of which is likely to go to a left-hander.

4 The Indians message to Adams was a positive one in that the team sees him as a future contributor. Francona said the team told Gorzelanny he is welcome to seek employment with another team, but if another major league opportunity isn t available, the Indians would like to have him at Triple-A. Future third baseman The Indians on Saturday made several additional moves, including optioning third baseman Giovanny Urshela, outfielder Joey Butler and infielder Erik Gonzalez to Columbus. Catcher Adam Moore was reassigned to minor league camp. Urshela had a positive camp, hitting.308 with a team-high five home runs. But with the signing of Juan Uribe and Jose Ramirez available in a utility role, the Indians didn t have a spot for Urshela on the 25-man roster. The hope is that, with an extra year of seasoning at Triple-A, Urshela can provide the Indians with a stable presence at third base beginning in That he had a really good camp, Francona said when asked about the message to Urshela. And we walked him through it again, why we signed Uribe, that we thought spending some time at Triple-A would be really good for him. We told him, We signed a guy for a year. We want you to be ready to come be the third baseman and stay here. The Indians ( ) brought some power but fell to the Cincinnati Reds ( ) 7-4 at Goodyear Ballpark. Staff Yan Gomes, Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana all hit solo home runs in the loss. Gomes and Napoli now each have four home runs this spring, tied for second on the team. Santana has two. Marlon Byrd, vying for a spot in the Indians outfield, went 2-for-3 with two doubles. He now has five doubles in five games since being signed. Carlos Carrasco threw five innings, allowed three earned runs on six hits and struck out three. He ll have one more start this spring. I thought his breaking ball started to come today, Francona said. You're starting to get where you're getting deeper into a game and you're using all your pitches. I thought he threw a much better breaking ball. He s just trying to refine his location. And with repetition, he ll be just fine. Cody Allen was hit hard, allowing four hits and three runs in two-thirds of an inning. Francisco Lindor went 1-for-3 with a double but also committed an error. Frankie s a really good player, Francona said. Sometimes making an error in spring training can almost be good, because it can get you back to fundamentals and moving your feet. But the fields are starting [to get hard] this last week. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Indians outfielder Michael Brantley to rest a week, Opening Day seems unlikely; Reds top Indians 7-4 By Ryan Lewis GOODYEAR, Ariz: Indians left fielder Michael Brantley has been ahead of schedule every step of the way in his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery, but it appears his goal of returning on Opening Day will not become a reality. Brantley s original timetable set his probable return in early May. He did so well in his hitting progression that Opening Day began to look like a possibility, a month ahead of schedule. But after appearing in two games and feeling sore, Brantley has since been held out of Cactus League action as the team tries to be cautious with him. On Saturday, Indians manager Terry Francona said Brantley won t appear in any spring training games in the next week or so. The odds of Brantley not missing any time in the regular season were never particularly good. Those odds now appear to be slim to none. I don t think you re going to see him in a major league game this week, that s for sure, Francona said. I hope he s not disappointed. There s not one ounce of disappointment in me. I m proud of him, man. He busted his ass and he ll continue to do that. The Indians hope to have more clarity on Brantley s situation in the coming days. Much of the focus during his rehab has been making sure that when Brantley does return his shoulder is strong enough to handle a lengthy regular season. I told myself and I told the medical staff that I was going to be honest, and I wouldn t come back unless I m 100 percent, Brantley said. So, I m just kind of listening to my body and taking it day by day, understanding that it s a different atmosphere in a game-like situation, and I ve got to recover faster when I come back from games. The Indians haven t made any definitive determinations with Brantley yet. I m on a day-by-day basis, Brantley said. I m not shut down from anything, but I am listening to my body and listening to the doctors. We re coming up with a game plan every day I come in and get checked out. Brantley added he isn t disappointed he won t likely make it back by Opening Day. But it s nonetheless frustrating. It s frustrating because I won t be with my teammates, absolutely, he said. Any game that they re playing and I m not, I m going to be even more eager to get back there. But I owe it to them and I owe it to myself and the manager and the training staff and everyone in this organization to come back at 100 percent. Reds 7, Indians 4 The Indians ( ) brought some power but fell to the Cincinnati Reds ( ) at Goodyear Ballpark.

5 Yan Gomes, Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana all hit solo home runs in the loss. Gomes and Napoli now each have four home runs this spring, tied for second on the team. Santana has two. Marlon Byrd, vying for a spot in the Indians outfield, went 2-for-3 with two doubles. He has five doubles in five games since being signed. Carlos Carrasco threw five innings, allowed three earned runs on six hits and struck out three. He ll have one more start this spring. I thought his breaking ball started to come today, Francona said. You re starting to get where you re getting deeper into a game and you re using all your pitches. I thought he threw a much better breaking ball. He s just trying to refine his location. And with repetition, he ll be just fine. Cody Allen was hit hard, allowing four hits and three runs in two-thirds of an inning. Francisco Lindor went 1-for-3 with a double but also committed an error. Frankie s a really good player, Francona said. Sometimes making an error in spring training can almost be good because it can get you back to fundamentals and moving your feet. But the fields are starting [to get hard] this last week. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Indians LF Michael Brantley to rest a week; Opening Day seems unlikely By RYAN LEWIS Published: March 26, 2016 Indians left fielder Michael Brantley has been ahead of schedule every step of the way in his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery, but it appears that his goal of returning on Opening Day will not become a reality. Brantley s original timetable set his probable return in early May. He did so well in his hitting progression that Opening Day began to look like a possibility, a month ahead of schedule. But after appearing in two games and feeling sore, Brantley has since been held out of Cactus League action as the team tries to be cautious with him. On Saturday, Indians manager Terry Francona said Brantley won t be appearing in any spring training games in the next week or so. The odds of Brantley not missing any time in the regular season were never particularly good. Those odds now appear to be slim to none. I don t think you re going to see him in a major league game this week, that s for sure, Francona said. I hope he s not disappointed. There s not one ounce of disappointment in me. I m proud of him, man. He busted his ass and he ll continue to do that. The Indians hope to have more clarity on Brantley s situation in the coming days. Much of the focus during his rehab has been making sure that when Brantley does return, that his shoulder is strong enough to handle a lengthy regular season. I told myself and I told the medical staff that I was going to be honest, and I wouldn't come back unless I'm 100 percent, Brantley said. So, I'm just kind of listening to my body and taking it day by day, understanding that it's a different atmosphere in a game-like situation, and I've got to recover faster when I come back from games. The Indians haven t made any definitive determinations with Brantley yet. I'm on a day-by-day basis, Brantley said. I'm not shut down from anything, but I am listening to my body and listening to the doctors. We're coming up with a game plan every day I come in and get checked out. Brantley added that he isn t disappointed that he won t likely make it back by Opening Day. But it s nonetheless frustrating. It's frustrating, because I won't be with my teammates, absolutely, he said. Any game that they're playing and I'm not, I'm going to be even more eager to get back there. But, I owe it to them and I owe it to myself and the manager and the training staff and everyone in this organization to come back at 100 percent. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Indians inform RP Joba Chamberlain he will make the club; Gio Urshela, others optioned to Triple-A By RYAN LEWIS Published: March 26, 2016 The Indians gained some clarity with their bullpen situation on Saturday, informing relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain that he ll be making the Opening Day roster. Chamberlain, in camp as a non-roster invitee, is the fifth reliever to nail down a spot in the Opening Day bullpen, joining Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Jeff Manship and Zach McAllister. Tommy Hunter will be in that mix around mid-may when he has recovered from core muscle surgery. In a week when you have a lot of tough conversations, that was certainly one of the more rewarding ones, said Indians manager Terry Francona. It s nice when you re making difficult decisions but guys step up, kinda like [Tyler] Naquin, and accept the challenge. He likes to compete, he wants to win and I think he ll be a really valuable piece down there. Chamberlain has been around the club since early January and this spring has a 3.38 ERA with seven strikeouts in eight innings pitched. Per Brooks Baseball, in two outings that were tracked, Chamberlain averaged 95.5 mph on his fastball and 87.8 on his slider this spring, both increases over this 2015 averages. It was my job to lose at the end of the day, Chamberlain said. Whether you re guaranteed a spot or not, you still have to go in and have a good spring and do things to get better and make your team better and make yourself better. Coming in, I was going to do everything in my power to make this team and just felt I would bring a lot to the ballclub. It also means Chamberlain will be at Progressive Field when the team celebrates Travis Hafner s walk-off hit to win Game 2 of the 2007 ALDS, otherwise known as The Bug Game.

6 I guess it all comes full circle, Chamberlain said. It ll be fun to play that part, too. I ll always be The Bug Guy. It could be worse. Now to be a part of it 10 years later, I started my career and now am starting another chapter of my career. I couldn t think of any better place. On top of Chamberlain winning a spot, the team optioned Austin Adams to Triple-A Columbus and told non-roster invitee Tom Gorzelanny that he wouldn t be making the club. The Indians are likely to open the season with seven relief pitchers, leaving two spots up for grabs between three candidates. Right-handed pitcher Dan Otero, left-hander Kyle Crockett and left-handed non-roster invitee Ross Detwiler are all vying for those spots, at least one of which is likely to go to a left-hander. The Indians message to Adams was a positive one, in that the team sees him as a future contributor. Francona said the team told Gorzelanny he is welcome to seek employment with another team, but if another major league opportunity isn t available, that the Indians would like to have him at Triple-A. Future 3B The Indians on Saturday made several additional moves, including optioning third baseman Giovanny Urshela, outfielder Joey Butler and infielder Erik Gonzalez to Triple-A Columbus. Catcher Adam Moore was reassigned to minor league camp. Urshela had a positive camp, hitting.308 with a team-high five home runs. But with the signing of Juan Uribe and Jose Ramirez available in a utility role, the Indians didn t have a spot for Urshela on the 25-man roster. The hope is that, with an extra year of seasoning at Triple-A, Urshela can provide the Indians with a stable presence at third base beginning in That he had a really good camp, Francona said when asked about the message to Urshela. And we walked him through it again, why we signed Uribe, that we thought spending some time at Triple-A would be really good for him. We told him, We signed a guy for a year. We want you to be ready to come be the third baseman and stay here. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Marlon Byrd sees double, right-handed power shows up and Carlos Santana dismisses patience Zack Meisel, on March 26, 2016 at 8:00 PM, updated March 26, 2016 at 9:18 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The herd has thinned. Many openings have been filled. In a few days, the Indians will abandon Goodyear, Arizona, and confront the regular season with a 25-man unit. On Saturday, following a series of roster cuts -- and one roster spot clinch -- the Indians fell short against the Cincinnati Reds by a 7-4 margin. Here are some takeaways from the affair and what they mean moving forward with the regular season around the corner. Michael Brantley's likely absence at the start of the regular season means the Indians will need all of the offensive assistance they can get from their in-house outfield candidates. Marlon Byrd hasn't been in camp with the Tribe for long, but he has displayed some punch at the plate. Byrd notched a pair of doubles on Saturday to give him five two-baggers in five spring games. Overall, the 38-year-old outfielder has seven hits in 15 at-bats (1.300 OPS). Tribe manager Terry Francona was pleased to watch Byrd catch up to a fastball from hard-throwing right-hander Blake Wood. "He got to a pretty good fastball," Francona told reporters. "Blake Wood, we've seen, he throws pretty firm. And he got to it pretty well. That was good to see." Cody Allen surrendered four runs (three earned, because of a Francisco Lindor throwing error) in the seventh, which turned a slim Cleveland lead into a three-run deficit. Allen owns an 8.59 ERA this spring. Lindor made a pair of errors to boost his spring total to four. Francona said the Indians made some defensive miscues that they "shouldn't." He also downplayed their significance. "Sometimes an error in spring training can almost be good," he said, "because it can get you back to fundamentals and moving your feet." Lindor doubled and walked in four trips to the plate. He is batting.311 with an.871 OPS. Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana slugged back-to-back solo home runs in the sixth. Yan Gomes also belted a solo shot. Gomes and Napoli have each clubbed four homers this spring. Napoli is batting.450 with a OPS. Santana went 1-for-4 with the long ball. He is hitting.283 with an.862 OPS. Francona has appreciated Santana demonstrating some extra aggression at the plate. "He's not been passive [on] 0-0 [counts] like sometimes he can be," Francona said. "I don't know if passive is the right word, but just take mode, where, if he sees a fastball he likes, he's been kind of letting it fly, which I think is really going to help him. If that's the best pitch you're going to see, if he's ready to hit, I think he'll do some damage. I think he's in a good spot. "I just like when guys [take the approach of], 'Be ready to hit.' And, if you get a good pitch, go ahead. You're going to get deep in the count by swinging at strikes and taking good swings. He's really good at that, so he can afford to be aggressive at times, because people try to get ahead of him." Ross Detwiler, one of two left-handers remaining (Kyle Crockett is the other) in the battle for two bullpen openings, tossed a scoreless inning. Right-hander Dan Otero is also in the mix. Joba Chamberlain received word on Saturday that he had earned a spot on the team. Tribe to carry 5 outfielders, 7 relievers Carlos Carrasco allowed three runs on six hits over five innings. He threw a pair of wild pitches and served up a solo home run to Reds infielder Eugenio Suarez.

7 "You're starting to get where you're getting deeper into a game and you're using all your pitches," Francona said. "I thought he threw a much better breaking ball. He got out far enough and we'll have him go farther his last one. Like [Corey] Kluber, we'll rein back in, but we want to get Carlos out a little bit farther. He made a couple mistakes, but I thought he looks like he's [getting close to being ready]. He's just trying to refine his location, and with repetition, he'll be just fine." Joba Chamberlain gets good news as Cleveland Indians' bullpen takes shape for season CLEVELAND, Ohio This is the time of spring training that players love or hate, but deep down inside they're just glad to find out where they'll be playing baseball at the start of the season. In the confines of the Indians' bullpen, Joba Chamberlain received the good news on Saturday morning. Austin Adams and Tom Gorzelanny were not so fortunate. "We talked to Joba and informed him that he's on the ballclub," manager Terry Francona told reporters Saturday morning in Goodyear, Arizona. "In a week where you have a lot of tough conversations, that was a rewarding one." Chamberlain, the one-time darling of the New York Yankees, struggled last year with Detroit, Toronto and Kansas City. He signed a minorleague deal with the Indians on Dec. 1 and has been working toward making the team ever since. "Joba came out here (Goodyear) in January," said Francona. "He's been a (good) teammate from Day One. He's throwing the ball really well. Getting to know him has been fun." Chamberlain, 30, has a 3.38 ERA in eight games this spring. He's allowed three earned runs in eight innings with seven strikeouts and five walks. The opposition is hitting.233 against him. Francona says he'll open the season with a seven-man bullpen. Five spots are filled with closer Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Zach McAllister, Jeff Manship and Chamberlain. Left-handers Kyle Crockett or Ross Detwiler will fill one of the two remaining openings. Right-hander Dan Otero would seem to be closing in on the other spot, but there's been no official word on his standing. Tito could open season with 5 outfielders, 7 relievers Adams and Gorzelanny performed well this spring, but not well enough. Adams went 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA and one save over 10 1/3 innings this spring. He struck out nine, walked four and allowed three earned runs. "We spent a lot of time with Austin," said Francona. "We tried to explain to him that there has been so much development with his curveball, but there has been a lot of times this spring where he comes in and it's ball one, ball two. In the regular season if that happens, it means we have to get somebody up in the bullpen." Last year the hard-throwing Adams struck out 23 and walked 17 in 33 1/3 innings with the Tribe. "I want him to recognize how highly we regard him and that we want him to be a guy in our bullpen," said Francona. "But we also want to be honest enough (with him). He handled that conversation really well." Gorzelanny, the veteran lefty who came to camp on a minor league deal, went 0-0 with a 3.58 ERA in eight games. He struck out three, walked two and allowed three earned runs in 7 2/3 innings. At the start of camp, five lefties were trying to win one spot in the pen. Giovanni Soto was optioned to Columbus and Joe Thatcher received the same news Friday that Gorzelanny received Saturday. Now only Crockett and Detwiler remain. "We know he can go look around now, but if there's not a major league opportunity for him, we'd love to come and pitch at Triple-A with us," said Francona. "He says he really doesn't get going until May. I know he could help us." Adams, Butler among Indians latest cuts It's not often that a team searching for offense as the Indians are options its top home run hitter to Class AAA Columbus. But that's what they did to third baseman Giovanny Urshela, whose five homers led the team. He ranked second on the team with 12 RBI. The news did not surprise Urshela. He was told this would happen when the Indians signed Juan Uribe in February. "He had a really good camp," said Francona. "He feels for first time in a while that he's fully healthy. We walked through why signed Uribe again. We think spending sometime in Triple-AAA will be good for him. He understood. "We signed (Uribe) for one year. We told him, 'We want you to come here and be ready to stay here.'" Urshela makes hay, while Uribe is away Shortstop Erik Gonzalez and outfielder Joey Butler were also optioned to Columbus. Catcher Adam Moore was re-assigned to the minors and will end up on the Columbus roster. Check up: Right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall had his right forearm examined by Dr. Thomas Graham on Friday. He's been sidelined by the forearm injury for the last several days. Graham, one of the top hand specialists in the country, told Chisenhall that he couldn't injure himself any further even though he does have pain in the forearm. Chisenhall has told the Indians that he gets this kind of soreness every year, but he's never missed this much time in spring training. Chisenhall will trade bad spring for good season To make matters worse, Chisenhall has one hit in 22 at-bats this spring. It's unclear if the Indians are thinking about putting Chisenhall on the disabled list to start the season. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED:

8 Michael Brantley unlikely to open season on time with Cleveland Indians Paul Hoynes CLEVELAND, Ohio It appears that left fielder Michael Brantley has fallen short of his goal of being ready for opening day at Progressive Field. Manager Terry Francona didn't come out and say it Saturday morning, but he came close. "I don't think you'll see him playing in a major-league game this week that's for sure," Francona told reporters in Goodyear, Ariz. "How we go about the next three or four days, we'll have a better idea later today." The Indians break camp on Thursday. They'll play two games against Texas at Globe Life Park in Arlington on April 1-2 before returning home to open the regular season April 4 against Boston. Brantley underwent surgery in November to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. His rehab progressed to the point where he played Cactus League games on March 19 against the Cubs and Monday against the White Sox. After Tuesday's day off, however, Francona told reporters that Brantley was being shut down for a few days because his shoulder wasn't bouncing back as hoped. Dr. Mark Schickendantz, the Indians' head physician, has been working with Brantley the last two days. "He had a good day in the training room getting loose, a better day than yesterday," said Francona. Brantley plays in first game this spring Francona says Brantley is still ahead of schedule in his rehab. When he first underwent surgery, the Indians felt he might miss part, if not all, of April. Other projections had Brantley's rehab extending in May and longer. "I think it was healthy for him to shoot for that (opening day)," said Francona. "Anytime you have a goal, it's good. I hope he's not disappointed. I think he understands better than anybody here what he means to this team. "There's not one ounce of disappointment in me. I'm proud of him. He busted his butt. It might be a week later... it might be 10 days. But he's going to be just fine. We just have to do it right." If Brantley opens the season on the DL, the Indians will carry five outfielders. After Joey Butler was optioned to Class AAA Columbus on Saturday, there are eight viable candidates still in camp Tyler Naquin, Rajai Davis, Lonnie Chisenhall, Marlon Byrd, Collin Cowgill, Shane Robinson, Robbie Grossman and Will Venable. Naquin, Davis and Chisenhall are on the team. Chisenhall has been sidelined with a sore right forearm, but it does not sound like he'll open on the DL. Cowgill is on the 40-man roster, while Byrd, Robinson, Grossman and Venable are invitees on minor-league deals. First pitch: Carlos Carrasco will face Tim Melville and the Reds split squad at 4:05 p.m. Saturday at Goodyear Ballpark. Cody Allen, Jeff Manship, Jarrett Grube and Kyle Crockett are in the bullpen. Carrasco is 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA in four Cactus League starts. He's struck out 14 and hasn't walked a batter in 13 innings. The opposition is hitting.288 against him. Saturday's game will be on WTAM/1100 and Indians.com. Saturday's lineups: Tribe: CF Rajai Davis, SS Francisco Lindor, 2B Jason Kipnis, 1B Mike Napoli, DH Carlos Santana, C Yan Gomes, LF Byrd, 3B Juan Uribe, RF Cowgill and Carrasco. Reds lineup: 2B Jose Pereza, DH Zack Cozart, 1B Joey Votto, RF Jay Bruce, 3B Eugenio Suarez, LF Scott Schebler, CF Jake Caves, C Ramon Cabrera, SS Blake Trahan and Melville. Coming attractions: Cody Anderson is scheduled to start against Milwaukee's Taylor Jungmann on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET. Crockett, Manship and Joba Chamberlain will follow Anderson. Anderson is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA in four games, including three starts. He's struck out eight, walked four and allowed eight earned runs. He's allowed 12 hits in 12 innings and the opposition is hitting.245 against him. SportsTime Ohio will televise Sunday's game. It will be STO's final game from spring training. Indians.com will carry the webcast. Danny Salazar will face Jesse Hahn and the Oakland A's on Monday in Mesa at 4:05 p.m. ET. The game can be heard on Indians.com. Salazar is 1-1 with a 7.63 ERA in five starts. He's allowed 17 hits, including a team-high four homers, and 13 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings. Salazar has 18 strikeouts with eight walks. The opposition is hitting.279. Zach McAllister and Bryan Shaw are scheduled to follow Salazar. Austin Adams, Joey Butler among Cleveland Indians' latest roster cuts Paul Hoynes CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians trimmed their roster to 39 players Saturday in preparation for opening day on April 4 at Progressive Field. Right-hander Austin Adams, outfielder Joey Butler and infielders Giovanny Urshela and Erik Gonzalez were optioned to Class AAA Columbus. Catcher Adam Moore was re-assigned to the minors and lefty Tom Gorzelanny was told he would not make the big-league club. Adams' demotion and Gorzelanny's status bring the composition of the bullpen into focus. Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Zach McAllister, Jeff Manship and Joba Chamberlain, all right-handers, have made the team. They still have not made a decision on right-hander Dan Otero and who will be the lone lefty -- Kyle Crockett or Ross Detwiler. The Indians did announce that Chamberlain has made the club. The demotion of Butler, claimed on waivers in December, is not a surprise. The combination of a poor spring and the availability of a minorleague option made him a logical choice, but there are still 10 outfielders in camp. Michael Brantley is not expected to open the season on time

9 because of his surgically repaired right shoulder and Abraham Almonte definitely won't be available as he starts serving an 80-game suspension come opening day. Urshela and Gonzalez should form the left side of the Columbus infield at third and shortstop, respectively. Urshela turned in a strong performance this spring. He hit.308 (12-for-39) and leaves the team ranked first in homers with five and second in RBI with 12. His fate was sealed when the Indians signed veteran third baseman Juan Uribe in late February. For the second time in as many days manager Terry Francona had to tell a veteran lefty that he wasn't making the club. On Friday it was Joe Thatcher. On Saturday it was Gorzelanny. Gorzalanny posted a 3.58 ERA in eight games. He struck out three, walked two and allowed three earned runs in 7 2/3 innings. Adams, up and down five times between Columbus and Cleveland last year, was demoted in spite of a strong spring. Adams went 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA and one save in nine appearances. He struck out nine, walked four and allowed three earned runs in 10 1/3 innings. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Cleveland Indians hit three home runs in loss to Reds split squad(ap) GOODYEAR, Ariz. >> Eugenio Suarez hit his second home run and Zack Cozart doubled in two as a Cincinnati Reds split squad beat the Indians, 7-4 on March 26. Yan Gomes, Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana hit solo home runs off Tim Melville, who is penciled into the Reds starting rotation with several injuries creating an opportunity. Napoli hit his fourth with two outs in the sixth. Santana followed with his second of the spring. I thought Napoli showed a real good piece of hitting, Indians manager Terry Francona said. He hit a pretty good fastball. Rajai Davis, who is a strong candidate for one or the Indians five outfielders, opened the game with a double. Francisco Lindor and Marlon Byrd, a late entry into the outfield mix, doubled. Melville is the first Reds pitcher to finish six innings this spring. He allowed four runs on seven hits, including three home runs. Melville mixed his pitches very well. He had a good curveball going today, Reds pitching coach Mark Riggins said. He stayed ahead in the count. The three homers accounted for three runs but other than that he had a good day. We got a good six innings out of him with a good pitch count. Carlos Carrasco allowed three runs in five innings for Cleveland. STARTING TIME Indians: Carrasco will likely to make one more start before the season starts. Carlos breaking ball was better today. He s going deeper into games and got a couple pitches up, Francona said. Reds: Melville is in position to not only make a major league roster on opening day but be in the starting rotation. Homer Bailey, John Lamb and Michael Lorenzen will not be active by the opener. Jon Moscot is pitching but hasn t had time to build his pitch count. I threw a lot of first-pitch strikes, Melville said. I got some pitches up to real good hitters but I was still throwing a lot of strikes. I had a really good change-up. I didn t have to use it a lot because there weren t many lefties but I got a strikeout with one and a ground ball with one. TRAINER S ROOM Indians: Michael Brantley had his shoulder examined again. Brantley had soreness in his surgically repaired shoulder after appearing in two games. He will not play in a Cactus League game this week.... Lonnie Chisenhall s tight right forearm was examined and he is not restricted from any baseball activities. Reds: RHP Jon Moscot was slowed by a strained right rib cage. After completing Friday s bullpen without pain, he will start Monday against Milwaukee. UP NEXT Indians: RHP Cody Anderson will pitch against the Brewers. Reds: LHP Brandon Finnegan will start against the White Sox in Glendale. ROSTER MOVES The Indians told RHP Joba Chamberlain that he made the opening day roster. The team told LHP Tom Gorzelanny that he did not make the roster but invited him to stay with the team, if he can t find a team that will put him on the major-league roster. RHP Austin Adams, INF Erik Gonzalez, INF Giovanny Urshela and OF Joey Butler were optioned to Triple-A Columbus. C Adam Moore was re-assigned to minor league camp.