Cleveland placed Jason Bere on the disabled list with a strained shoulder on Friday. Bere began feeling pain in the shoulder in his last simulated start prior to the beginning of the regular season. An MRI revealed inflammation in his rotator cuff, so he will rest the shoulder before beginning a rehab program. If his recovery goes as scheduled, he'll probably attempt to rejoin the team in another three weeks.

The Indians called-up Chad Paronto to replace Bere on the roster. Paronto was one of Cleveland's last cuts and will assume a middle relief role in the pen. He was displaying steady improvement last season when he went down with elbow tendinitis, so he should perform adequately.

Jake Westbrook will take Bere's place in the rotation. Westbrook missed the first half of 2002 following off-season surgery to have a bone spur removed from his right elbow and then returned to the disabled list at the end of the season with a bone bruise on that elbow. The 25-year-old has never demonstrated particularly strong command as a starter, so he'll likely return to the bullpen as soon as the Indians find an alternative.

Unfortunately, while the Indians have a plethora of pitching talent in their system, almost all of their pitching prospects, including half of the current rotation, will struggle if not allowed to spend most of this year in the minors. With Westbrook now in the rotation, current reliever Billy Traber will probably be the next spot starter if Cleveland suffers another injury. He's a better pitcher than Westbrook, but the Indians apparently have him slotted as a reliever for the foreseeable future, which seems a misuse of his talent. Additionally, while I believe the 23-year-old likely will excel in his current long relief role, he also probably needs at least a half season in the bullpen or at AAA before regularly starting in the majors. If Traber is moved into the rotation, I suspect the Indians will promote LHP Alex Herrera to fill his spot in the pen.

Jason Phillips displayed excellent skills at AAA for the Indians last season, compiling a 71:17 K:BB with 88 H and 8 HR allowed in 98 IP for a 3.39 ERA over 16 starts. He deserved to be strongly considered for the rotation this year, but he is not on the Indians' 40-man roster and finding room to add him would be difficult. Nevertheless, if someone else lands on the 60-day disabled list, Phillips should be one of the first pitchers to which they turn. Of course, they seem equally likely to hand any open 40-man spot to veteran standby Dave Burba.

Cleveland traded Wendall Magee to Philadelphia for a player to be named later just before the season started. Last week, the Indians received Mike Fyhrie as the PTBNL. Fyhrie pitched solidly at AAA Sacramento last season, but he has failed to demonstrate the command necessary to hold a starting job in the majors, so the Indians probably won't add him to the 40-man.

The Indians' biggest "problem" right now is an abundance of quality players on their 40-man roster, so opening space merely to add a reliever appears quite questionable. Fyhrie, Jason Boyd, and Dave Elder all merit consideration if Cleveland decides to move Traber to the rotation and promote a right-hander to the bullpen, however we only see one likely roster opening barring another player moving to the 60-day DL. Current AAA first baseman Luis C. Garcia probably possesses less potential than any other minor leaguer on the 40-man roster, so Cleveland should explore trade possibilities involving him if they decide to make a move involving Phillips or another Buffalo right-hander.

Although the Indians don't appear to have much faith in Aaron Myette as a starter, once he recovers from his quad injury, Cleveland should strongly consider using him as rotation filler. Myette was set to make the team as a long reliever when he strained his right quad a few days prior to the beginning of the season. The 25-year-old experienced difficulties during his past major league starting opportunities, but he has spent more time in the upper minors than almost any other Cleveland pitcher. His minor league performance indicate promise, so while Myette easily could struggle again, there's a chance he could produce. More importantly by using Myette, the Indians don't have to interrupt a more promising pitcher's development track.

Myette already has made his first rehab start and should be capable of joining the major league team within the next two weeks. However unless they have a need they want him to fill in the majors, Cleveland likely will leave Myette on the DL as long as possible as he is out of options and would need to pass through waivers to be sent to the minors.

Regrettably, the Indians may soon need to add another substitute to the rotation, as C.C. Sabathia hyper-extended his elbow on the last pitch of his second start of the season. He believes the injury is not serious and plans to make his next start, but the Indians are having him examined to insure he is healthy. However due to his age and workload history, Sabathia is at high risk for a serious arm injury, so we certainly could see this problem develop into something more severe.