Kipnis, who homered in the All-Star Futures Game in Phoenix, hinted at the move Thursday, when he posted "It's time!!!" and then "I'm coming Cleveland!" on his Twitter account, @TheJK_Kid. The Indians announced the move a short while later, and said Kipnis will make his big-league debut Friday night against the White Sox.
Kipnis, who is hitting .279 with 12 home runs at Triple-A Columbus, could give a much-needed boost to an Indians lineup that has felt the loss of Sizemore. Sizemore has been on the disabled list three times this year, and the Indians announced Thursday morning that he had surgery to repair a sports hernia and will miss the next 4-6 weeks.
Sizemore's injury dates to a slide he made in May. He was hitting just .214 in his last 43 games before making his most recent trip to the DL this week, because of a knee problem.
"Knowing the two areas are related and also learning my knee condition is not serious gives me peace of mind going forward that I can finish the season healthy and help contribute to an exciting pennant chase," Sizemore said in a statement released by the Indians.
Sizemore has played in just 200 games over the last three seasons, because of various injuries.
Kipnis is a second baseman, but he also has some experience playing the outfield (although he hasn't played there since 2009).Luis Valbuena was optioned to Columbus to make room for Kipnis.
