Hafner lands on DL with bad foot

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians have yet another lineup hole to fill after putting designated hitter Travis Hafner on the disabled list Monday.

General manager Chris Antonetti said Hafner will be sidelined at least two weeks with a strained right foot. The first-year GM is working the waiver wire to try and find help. Thus far, he has been swinging and missing as much as the Indians, who lead the AL in strikeouts.

“We’ve been aggressive, but haven’t had a fit yet or teams withdraw the players,” Antonetti said. “We will continue to do whatever we can to try and improve our team.”

That could include talking to Minnesota about 40-year-old DH Jim Thome now that the Twins are 13 games out in the AL Central.

The second-place Indians, 4½ games back, may get their effort blocked by another team with a lesser record putting in a claim, such as the third-place Chicago White Sox.

Thome hit the first 334 of his 601 career homers with Cleveland before leaving as a free agent following the 2002 season. He has been limited to 68 games this year, batting .256 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs and would be a popular addition with fans.

Hafner has been playing with a painful foot since injuring it on a slide in April. He recently fouled a ball off it, re-aggravating the problem.

Hafner also was sidelined for a month until mid-June with a strained right oblique. In 82 games, he is hitting .281 with 11 homers and 49 RBIs.

Manager Manny Acta’s lineup was further depleted as outfielder Shin-Soo Choo joined his wife for the birth of their third child. Outfielder Grady Sizemore and second baseman Jason Kipnis remained on the disabled list.

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