Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta freely admitted before Monday's game that Lonnie Chisenall, who made his major league debut that night, was "not a finished product by any means," and that if things "were going the way they were a few weeks ago" for the club, then the 22-year-old prospect would probably still be in the minors.
"Due to a combination of things, we felt it was the right time. Obviously, our offense is in a little funk right now," Acta said. "We think he can give us a little help."
A first-round pick in the 2008 draft, Chisenhall wasn't necessarily tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A this year with a .265 AVG/.352 OBP/.427 SLG stat line, even though all those numbers were above the league average for the International League. He also hit seven homers in 65 games and was coming off a stretch in which he was named the league's player of the week after going 9-for-21 with two homers and 14 RBIs in five games since returning from the disabled list due to a concussion he suffered on a slide into third. Chisenhall batted .278 with 17 homers at Double-A last season, finishing strong after a midseason shoulder injury.
That hot streak over the past week was good enough to get the summons for a team that has gotten a combined .220 batting average and .327 slugging percentage out of its third basemen this season. Chisenhall put together four good at-bats in his debut, making solid contact each time, collecting two hits including a double, and driving in a run.
