Indians option Lee, activate Atchison from DL

DETROIT -- Following a two-day stay in the Indians' bullpen, right-hander C.C. Lee was optioned back to Triple-A Columbus prior to Saturday's game against the Tigers. The move allowed Cleveland to activated veteran reliever Scott Atchison from the disabled list.

The Tribe summoned Lee from Columbus on Thursday to help give the bullpen a fresh arm, buying time until Atchison's scheduled return from the 15-day DL. The 28-year-old Lee logged two-thirds of an inning and allowed an RBI double to slugger Miguel Cabrera in Friday's 4-0 loss to Detroit.

"He knew coming in," Indians manager Terry Francona said of sending Lee down. "I told him when he first came here, I said, 'Hey, this is probably [for a few days].' He walked in and said, 'Atchison?' He was aware. I'm glad when guys have an understanding of that, because you want the two or however many days he's here to be helpful."

Atchison, 39, rejoins Cleveland's staff following a stay on the DL to help him recover from a sprained left ankle, which had its roots in mid-April. Overall this season, Atchison has a 5.74 ERA through 19 appearances, but he posted a 9.31 ERA with a 1.107 opponents' OPS in his final 12 outings prior to landing on the DL on May 28.

Atchison struck out three batters and allowed a hit in one inning of work on Wednesday in a rehab outing with Double-A Akron.

In parts of three seasons with the Indians, Lee has turned in a 4.64 ERA in 33 innings (46 appearances). The right-hander has posted 2.35 ERA with 29 strikeouts against six walks in 23 innings (19 games) at Triple-A this year.