Lee Will Start Season On Disabled List

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Cliff Lee won't pitch for the Indians until at least mid-April. The left-hander still feels a slight strain in his right abdominal muscle and won't pick up a baseball for at least another seven to 10 days. Team trainer Lonnie Soloff estimates that Lee will then need a "four to six week rehab." Right-hander Fausto Carmona likely will start the season in Lee's rotation spot.

"It's frustrating," Lee said. "I see everybody else getting ready for the season and I'm left behind a little bit.

"Warming up and just playing catch, it doesn't feel bad at all, but 10, 20, 30 throws into it, it starts to come on. If it just felt like this, I probably could pitch with it. But I'd most likely make it worse and I don't want to miss more time."

MINOR MATTERS: Five players were sent to minor-league camp in the first roster cuts of the spring. Left-handers Chuck Lofgren, Scott Lewis and Aaron Laffey, catcher Javier Herrera, and outfielder Brad Snyder were sent down. The Indians still have 52 players in their major-league camp.

Lofgren had a 33.75 ERA in two short appearances in exhibition games. He gave up five hits and six runs (five earned) in only 1 1/3 innings. The general consensus was that the 21-year-old was trying to hard to make an impression, instead of relaxing and pitching the way he did when he went 17-5 with a 2.32 at Class A Kinston in 2006.

Lewis (16.20 ERA) and Laffey (9.00 ERA) also were hit hard in their exhbition appearances.

Herrera walked and scored a run in his only plate appearance in two exhibition games.

Snyder hit .167 (2-for-12), but did draw five walks as opposed to two strikeouts. The Indians want the first-round draft pick from 2003 to have better pitch selection. He struck out 158 times in 135 games last season at Class AA Akron.