Transactions: Huff, Maine, Phelps, Rottino Recalled

Recalled LHP David Huff, LHP Scott Maine, IF Cord Phelps, and OF Vinny Rottino from Columbus (AAA)

With the AAA season over, these players represent most of the Columbus players on the 40-man roster. The exceptions are Kevin Slowey, who is on the AAA DL, Lars Anderson, and Juan Diaz. I'm surprised that Diaz wasn't called up, as he'd already played with the Indians and had a great finish to his season (hitting .306/.342/.458 with Columbus). Also, it looks like Tim Fedroff will not be added to the 40-man roster, though I think he deserves a look.

A quick review of the four callups:

• David Huff, after a brief bout of success in 2011, has seen several pitchers jump him on the depth chart, and for good reason: he's allowed 155 hits in 134.0 AAA innings, including 27 home runs (and that isn't due to his home park - 15 of them came on the road). He shouldn't be getting too many scheduled innings, but could be used as a long-man if a starter gets pulled early. I'd be shocked if he's on the 40-man roster next spring.
  
• Scott Maine was acquired on waivers last week. The 27-year-old left-hander threw 20.2 innings with the Cubs this season, and although he had control problems, had good strikeout and hit rates. The Indians have been looking for left-handed relievers all season, so perhaps Maine will get into a couple of high-leverage situations before the season is over.
  
• Cord Phelps had a nice season (.820 OPS overall, .888 at home, .754 on the road) and may get some starts at second or short against left-handed pitchers. He's probably the reason the Indians didn't recall Juan Diaz.
  
• Vinny Rottino probably won't get many at-bats, as the Indians recently recalled Thomas Neal and Russ Canzler. The 32-year-old hasn't spent much time at the major-league level in his 10-year career, so this callup is more a reward than an audition.