Indians starters will make room for their newest lodge brother when Carlos Carrasco makes his 2010 major-league debut this afternoon against the Chicago White Sox.
Rosters can be expanded to 40 on Wednesday, but the Tribe will wait until the end of Columbus' regular season and the conclusion of any Clippers' playoff run before making wholesale call-ups from the Triple-A team.
Carrasco is the exception. The 23-year-old right-hander, acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies last year as part of the Cliff Lee deal, is the one player that Indians' officials obviously want to see immediately.
''Carrasco is the only guy we're going to call up now,'' manager Manny Acta said Tuesday. ''However, we might also call up a reliever.
''We're headed in that direction. In the series against Kansas City, our bullpen got beat up a little, and Mitch Talbot only went five innings last night.''
Carrasco posted a 10-6 record and 3.65 ERA in Triple-A. In 1501/3 innings, he has given up 139 hits, 45 walks and struck out 133.
''He's going to start every five days, and I'm looking forward to seeing him,'' Acta said. ''He's had a tremendous year in Triple-A. He's done everything we could have asked at that level.
''I know he had a rough time when he was here last September, but some people felt he was tired. He has the highest ceiling of any starter we have here.''
Carrasco made five starts for the Tribe last September and posted a 0-4 record and 8.85 ERA.
The addition of Carrasco to the rotation means that Acta will have to figure out a way to make room for six starters.
''We're going to move [Josh] Tomlin's start back a day and skip [Jeanmar] Gomez to keep them pitching the rest of the season,'' Acta said. ''Gomez's next start will be Wednesday [Sept. 8] in Anaheim. Everyone is going to be skipped [at least once] except Fausto [Carmona].''
Acta has said all along that Gomez and Tomlin would be limited to 175 innings apiece. Missing a turn or two will keep him on that pace.
Justin Masterson has been assigned a limit of 180 innings. Acta said previously that Masterson probably would finish the season in the bullpen so as not to surpass his innings limit. But for now, he will remain in the rotation and possibly work as a reliever later in September.