Carlos Santana returns from the disabled list

The Indians have activated Carlos Santana from the disabled list, after he missed the last 9 games due to a concussion he suffered when a foul tip hit him in the catcher's mask on Sunday, May 25. Santana has been put back into the starting lineup, though he is at DH instead of in the field, and has been put into the #8 spot in the batting order for tonight.

Santana spent much of April in May mired in a deep slump at the plate, leaving him with an ugly batting line of .159/.327/.301. That .159 batting average is the lowest in all of baseball among the 168 qualified hitters. On the other hand, his walk rate of 19.5% is the best in all of baseball, and his .327 on-base percentage is above average.

Santana was the team's best hitter in 2013, and he also hit very well in the four-game set against Baltimore, in the finale of which he suffered the concussion, with 4 hits, including a pair of doubles and a home run, plus 6 walks, giving him a 1.329 OPS for the series. It's good to have him back, and hopefully he can start making a bit better contact, benefit from a bit better luck, and get back to putting up numbers like those he had last season.

Jesus Aguilar has been sent down to Columbus to make room for Santana. That means George Kottaras is still on the roster, which makes me think we won't be seeing Santana behind the plate for the time being. Third base is challenging enough, without Carlos also having to worry about playing behind the plate once or twice a week. I'd like to see him at third base 3 or 4 times a week, and at DH the rest of the time.