Smoke signals

• Non-roster outfielder Nyjer Morgan was out of the lineup on Monday, marking the fifth straight day he has been sidelined with a mild left calf strain. Indians manager Terry Francona indicated that Morgan (a bench candidate) might be cleared to play as early as Tuesday.

"They're just looking out for my best interest," Morgan said on Monday morning. "Right now, I'd be my own worst enemy if I went out there."

• Francona noted on Monday that infielder Justin Sellers will likely miss a few games due to a "slight hip flexor strain." Sellers, who was acquired in a trade with the Dodgers on March 2, has impressed his new manager to this point in camp.

"Defensively, he's really something -- kind of as advertised," Francona said. "He likes to play. He's a fun kid. I think it took him about two days to kind of settle in. He's pretty quiet. Once he got a little comfortable, he's a good kid. Hopefully, this [injury] won't linger."

• Non-roster first baseman Bryan LaHair, who is returning from September surgery on his left wrist, hit for the first time in a Cactus League game on Sunday, going 0-for-3 against the Giants. Francona said the reports about LaHair's at-bats were positive.

"They said he swung the bat pretty well," Francona said. "It was a pretty good report. Again, your first three at-bats, whether he hits a ball 500 feet or he trickles one to second, you just want to see him get healthy and get some repetition."

• With starters Carlos Carrasco (five innings) and Danny Salazar (four innings) scheduled to pitch consecutively in Wednesday's Cactus League game against the A's, Tribe relievers Bryan Shaw, Cody Allen, David Aardsma, Colt Hynes and Frank Herrmann are slated to work an inning apiece in a Minor League game that day.