Indians to activate outfielder Nick Swisher from disabled list
The Cleveland Indians will activate outfielder Nick Swisher from the 15-day disabled list prior to the team’s game on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals, Indians manager Terry Francona said.
In a corresponding roster move, the team will option outfielder Tyler Holt to Triple-A Columbus.
Swisher has not played this season after having surgery on both knees in August. He was originally only supposed to miss 8 to 10 weeks, but he did not participate in spring training or play in the team’s first 24 games. He hit .375 in 24 at-bats during his rehab assignment.
Last season, Swisher only hit .208 with eight home runs, 42 RBIs and had a career-worst .608 OPS.
"We were adamant all along that, regardless of how we were playing, we wanted to do what was right by Swish," Francona said. "I think we kind of held to that, even when it wasn't really easy. We talked to him multiple times [on Sunday], and he was adamant that he is ready to go and ready to help us."
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Swisher was scheduled to play in three more games in Triple-A to complete his rehab assignment, but the medical staff felt Swisher's knees were good enough to make a return to the team.
"I've watched his videos of every move he's made in the last 10 days," Francona said. "The one thing is his intensity has been off the charts. There's still a little bit of [room for improvement with his] first step and decelerating, but I'm not sure that three days would make a big difference, because we were going to call him up after [the series against] Kansas City."
Swisher, 34, is in the third season of a four-year, $56 million deal that he signed prior to the 2013 season. He is set to make $15 million this season.
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