Bourn heading to DL; Kazmir slated to start Saturday

CLEVELAND -- Michael Bourn sat in front of his locker in the Indians' clubhouse on Tuesday afternoon, a splint on his injured right index finger, unsure of how many games he would miss. The center fielder is going to be sidelined longer than initially expected.

Tribe manager Terry Francona said Tuesday that Bourn will be placed on the 15-day disabled list within the next few days. Francona explained that left-hander starter Scott Kazmir was also expected to be activated from the DL in time for a road start against the Astros on Saturday.

"To be completely honest, he'll end up going on the disabled list," Francona said of Bourn. "He's not there yet. The reason being Kazmir pitched [Monday for Triple-A Columbus]. We fully expect him to pitch Saturday for us. Saying that, if we don't DL Bourn yet, if he's just a little sore, it gives us a chance to do something different."

Bourn, who signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Indians over the offseason, suffered a laceration on his right hand while sliding into first base in the eighth inning of Sunday's 3-1 loss to the White Sox. On the play, Chicago pitcher Matt Thornton stepped on Bourn's hand while covering first base. Bourn exited the game and received five stitches.

Through 10 games with Cleveland, Bourn has hit .333 (15-for-45) with two home runs, four doubles, one triple, two RBIs and seven runs scored.

Bourn felt his only chance of being safe in that situation was to slide headfirst.

"I just tried to be safe, man," Bourn said. "We were down by one and I tried to get on the base. I just tried to get there, but in the process, I got hurt. It's something I have to deal with. That's all I can do."

Kazmir, who won the fifth-starter's job with a solid showing in Spring Training, suffered a right rib cage strain while playing catch on April 1 in Toronto. On Monday, the lefty made his first Minor League rehab appearance, holding Triple-A Louisville to one unearned run on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks in five innings of work.

"[The reports were] very good," Francona said. "Because he's building up, he was limited to [around 60] pitches. That's something to think about, but he threw the ball very well. [Pitching coach Mickey Callaway] went down there to watch. All the reports were very positive. I think Scotty felt really good about himself."