Indians place House on disabled list

CLEVELAND -- One day after his fourth straight rough start for the Indians, left-hander TJ House was placed on the disabled list due to inflammation in his throwing shoulder.

Prior to Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Cleveland put House on the 15-day DL and recalled outfielder Tyler Holt from Triple-A Columbus to add some depth to the Major League bench. The Indians did not need to promote a replacement starter yet for House, considering they will not need a fifth starter until May 9 against the Twins.

"We DL him, and we can get this shoulder feeling good," Indians manager Terry Francona said.

House indicated that the shoulder discomfort first flared following his three-inning outing against the Tigers on Saturday, when he was an emergency replacement for righty Trevor Bauer (food poisoning). On Friday, House worked through a bullpen session, because he was not expecting to pitch for a few more days.

Since that irregular two-day workload, House has experienced stiffness in his shoulder.

"We definitely tried to manage it the best we could and kind of go with it," House said. "But I talked to [Francona] and all them and I think right now the best thing is just rest. I'll try to get better and come back and be like how I was."

During Thursday's 5-1 loss to Toronto, House lasted only three-plus innings, marking the third time in four starts that the lefty exited before completing four frames. House logged only 13 innings in his four appearances, allowing 19 earned runs on 21 hits for a 13.15 ERA. The left-hander walked 12 and struck out seven, taking the loss in each of his starts.

The 25-year-old opened this season as Cleveland's fifth starter after going 5-3 with a 3.35 ERA in 19 games (102 innings) for the club last season. That showing included a 2.53 ERA in 10 starts in the second half. In 2014, House averaged 90.4 mph on his fastball, but that pitch speed has dropped to an average of 88.6 mph this year.

The 26-year-old Holt can play all three outfield positions and gives the Tribe a true backup for center fielder Michael Bourn. In 36 games for Cleveland last season, Holt turned in a .268/.307/.296 slash line in 71 at-bats. Through 19 games for Triple-A Columbus this year, the outfielder had a .328/.438/.393 slash line to go along with three extra-base hits, four RBIs, five stolen bases, 12 runs and as many walks (12) as strikeouts (12).

"He certainly brings energy. He goes 100 mph, man," Francona said of Holt. "I think right now, he might be able to help us win a game. I don't know how he'll be used, but we can use him off the bench, we can pinch-hit, pinch-run. He may start a game. We'll see."