The Cleveland Indians have placed designated hitter Travis Hafner on the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain.
Hafner hasn't had a terrific start to the season, batting .217 with nine doubles, four home runs and 22 RBI. He's also struck out 44 times and walked 23. He's been playing with this injury since spring training, which has caused him to move in and out of the lineup.Hafner had a decent and relatively healthy 2007 season, hitting .266 with 24 home runs and 100 RBI in 152 games. He struck out 115 times and walked 102 times during the season. He's been pretty consistent in the RBI category in his career, but did see a dip in his home run total from 2006 (42) to 2007. He missed games because of elbow and hand injuries in 2006 and with a concussion in 2005.
He's been a bit of a disappointment for fantasy owners this season. He started to struggle last year, and it appears he hasn't been able to fully break out of the slump. Owners in shallow leagues should consider dropping him and look for a more consistent player who has better numbers. However, in deeper leagues, owners should place Hafner on the disabled list if they have the room to do so. If there's no space, he should be stashed away on the bench until he's ready to play.
Manager Eric Wedge hasn't named a replacement for Hafner yet. Wedge said he has plenty of options to put in the lineup as the designated hitter, so fantasy owners may want to look outside the team for a more valuable short-term replacement.
