Smoke signals

• Indians catcher Yan Gomes, who is on Major League Baseball's seven-day concussion list, continued to show improvement on Wednesday, according to Francona. It is possible that Gomes will be activated when he is first eligible on Friday in Kansas City, where the Indians will play a three-game series this weekend.

"He wants to play today, which is good," Francona said with a laugh on Wednesday. "He's not and he can't, but he's really doing well. In fairness to him, it's probably not fair to say he's going to play Friday, but unless he has a setback somewhere, he's right on pace."

• Designated hitter Jason Giambi (on the disabled list since June 12 with a left knee issue) went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in his first Minor League rehab game with Double-A Akron on Tuesday. Utility man Ryan Raburn (on DL with right wrist injury) began his rehab assignment with Akron on Wednesday night.

• First-base prospect Jesus Aguilar went 1-for-4 with a home run on Tuesday to help Triple-A Columbus claim a 3-1 win over Toledo and capture the International League's West Division crown. In 114 games this season, Aguilar has hit .302 with 19 homers and 74 RBIs for the Clippers.