The struggling Cleveland Indians have injected some speed into their lineup, promoting outfield prospect Oscar Mercado from the minors.
Mercado was recalled from Triple-A Columbus and made his major league debut Tuesday afternoon against the Chicago White Sox. He batted sixth in the lineup and started in left field, going 0-for-3 with a run scored in Cleveland's 9-0 victory.
The Indians placed outfielder Tyler Naquin on the 10-day injured list in a corresponding roster move. Naquin, who is batting .278 with one home run, has been hampered by a left calf strain.
Mercado, 24, was batting .294 with four homers in 30 games for Columbus this season and led the International League with 14 stolen bases. He had 37 stolen bases last season in 132 combined games for the Indians' and St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A affiliates.
