It’s that time of the year again, when fringe players are told whether they are going to be sent down or they get to stay with the team. On Tuesday, the Cleveland Indians optioned pitcher Jeremy Sowers and catcher Wyatt Toregas to the Columbus Clippers of the International League. The Tribe also assigned many players to the minor league camp. Included in those players are pitchers Greg Aquino and Kirk Saarloos, outfielders Michael Brantley and Matt LaPorta (acquired last year in the CC Sabathia trade) and infielder Michael Aubrey.

Sowers is probably the most prominent name on the above list as he has spent parts of the past three seasons with the Indians and at times showed enough promise to where many thought he would be a main stay in the Tribe rotation. His overall record in the majors is 12-19 and he has posted an overall ERA of 5.14. He impressed many scouts and fans alike with his performance during the 2006 season when he was first called up and he went 7-4 with a 3.57 ERA. The Indians are running out of time with Sowers and while he will probably be called up during the season to at least come out of the bullpen, if not make a few spot starts, they are going to have to decide some time in the near future if he is going to stay in their organization.

Toregas is a highly touted prospect who has not seen any action in the big leagues during his five seasons of professional baseball. He has risen through the ranks of the Indians farm club throughout the years and has been highly regarded more for his skills as a catcher than as a batter, although he does have a .262 average.

Many people around Cleveland thought that LaPorta had a shot at starting the season with the Indians this year, but those with the team, including general manager Mark Shapiro, thought that he would be better served to spend some more time honing his skills in the minors before he gets his first call up. At this point, it really seems to be a foregone conclusion that LaPorta will be called up at some point during this season.

The Indians still have some important decisions to be made, specifically whether they are going to give the last roster spot to Trevor Crowe or Josh Barfield.

Bill Jordan is a contributor to BaseballReflections.com. He can be reached by e-mail at BillJordaniv@yahoo.com.

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