Interleague to put Hafner on bench

Travis Hafner has been one of Cleveland's top hitters the past week, having hit .364 with four home runs during his last seven games.

The Indians, however, are scheduled to travel to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati starting Friday, which means there will be no designated hitter.

Hafner, having not played first base since 2007 nor taken significant infield practice this season, will likely not be in the lineup. Considering he is coming off an injury, there is no sense to try to play him at first base anyway, despite how well he is hitting.

But Hafner will become a prolific pinch hitter. He would only get one at-bat per game, however, which could cause some strain on the bench later in the game since there would have to be a defensive replacement the half inning after Hafner's plate appearance.