Shaun Marcum designated for assignment by Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians have announced that Shaun Marcum is being designated for assignment. Zach Walters has been optioned back to Columbus, opening up roster spots for relievers Kyle Crockett and Jeff Manship.

This will be the second time this year Marcum has gotten the DFA treatment. The first was just a week into the season following a five-inning outing against the Detroit Tigers where he gave up a single run on three hits. He was called up later in the season on May 20 following Bruce Chen's own implosion and retirement, and has been a mixed bag of effectiveness since. One game he'll look great, such as his June 11 start against Seattle when he allowed no runs in seven innings, and others he'll look awful like last night (and when he gave up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings in late May).

All told, he heads back to Triple-A carrying a 5.40 ERA and a 5.76 FIP, meaning -- unlike some of the other starting pitchers on the Tribe -- his struggles can't be directly tied to the poor defense.

Walters still hasn't found his Major League stroke, but he hasn't been given a ton of opportunities to do so. In the 11 games he appeared in, only four have been starts, with the rest being late pinch-hit or defensive replacement roles. He leaves with a -24 wRC+ and not a single walk to his name on the year. Like the other times he's been sent down this year, Walters' option likely isn't permanent, but more of a move to allow for an extra bullpen arm to come up after they were burned out in last night's game.

Crockett, a lefty, has spent his short two-year career in the Indians organization, surfacing in the majors twice -- once last year and once this year when he pitched in three relief appearances and didn't allow a run in 2 1/3 innings. His high strikeout rate should help fit right in with the rest of the Indians fireballers.

Veteran reliever Jeff Manship, a righty, is almost the complete opposite of Crockett. The 30-year-old right-hander spent the majority of his career on the Minnesota Twins, with short stints on the Colorado Rockies and Phildephia Phillies. He has yet to reach the Majors as a member of the Tribe, but he's sporting an impressive 1.99 ERA playing for Triple-A Columbus. He's a prime candidate to suffer as a result of the Tribe's poor defense however, thanks to his low strikeout rate and 44.8% career ground ball rate.

Combined, Manship and Crockett have only started 10 career games in the Majors, so neither of them are likely to be considered as the fifth starter to fill the void left by Marcum. Unless the Indians plan to move Zach McAllister back to his old starting rotation spot, another roster move is likely coming once the bullpen recovers and the fifth starter spot rolls around again.

A more exciting option than Marcum for the #5 spot might be prospect Cody Anderson. Since being promoted up from Double-A after nine starts, he's held down a 2.33 ERA with a 2.26 FIP For Triple-A Columbus. His 8.38 strikeouts per nine innings, while only in three starts, is the highest he's had at any level in the minors. Could it be time for another debut for the Tribe?