In order to clear space for the Major League debut of right-hander Josh Tomlin, the Indians optioned outfielder Michael Brantley to Triple-A Columbus and designated infielder Wes Hodges for assignment. Since Tomlin was not on the 40-man roster, Cleveland needed to clear a space, and it chose to do so with Hodges.
Hodges, who played for Baylor under coach Gene Etter, also attended Georgia Tech.
The 25-year-old Hodges, a second round pick of the Indians in 2006, was hitting .270/.316/.423 this year in his second Triple A stint. He came up as a third baseman, but has been playing first base and DH this year. Baseball America ranked him 27th among Indians prospects heading into the season, citing health issues and the move off third base.
Brantley, 23, appeared in 26 games for the Indians through two different stints, batting .157 (16-for-102).
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Source: MLB.com