Dellucci, signed to a three-year contract before the 2007 season to be a platoon outfielder, had become the odd man out in manager Eric Wedge's lineups after a Tribe career plagued by injuries and ineffectiveness. As a result, the veteran Dellucci was designated for assignment Friday to make room for left-handed reliever Rafael Perez, who was recalled from Triple-A Columbus.
By the time this season is over, the Indians will have paid Dellucci $11.5 million to bat .238 with 15 homers, 68 RBIs and a .699 OPS in 183 games over the past three years. They remain on the hook for the roughly $2.7 million that remains on his contract for this year.
It had been speculated for months that the 35-year-old Dellucci, who opened the season on the disabled list with a calf strain, would be designated for assignment at some point this season. While he didn't bring much production to the field, he did prove to be a good teammate.
"It was time," Wedge said. "David was such a pro. He was so consistent as a human being. He had some tough times over here, but he was also a big part of helping other people get better."
Wedge gave Dellucci a spurt of starts when he came off the DL on May 1, but that soon changed. Dellucci, batting .275 (11-for-40) with one RBI in 14 games, had just two pinch-hit at-bats over the last 10 days.
With Travis Hafner (right shoulder soreness) likely to come off the DL on Monday, the Indians will no longer have the DH spot open. So Dellucci was about to become more expendable than ever.
The Indians, who enter the four-game weekend wraparound set with the Yankees with a 13-man pitching staff and 12 position players, were more in need of relief help than another bench option.
Enter Perez. Once a dominant setup man, Perez struggled at the outset of the season and had to go to Columbus on May 6 to refine his slider and regain his confidence. If the numbers are any indication, he's done so. Perez threw nine scoreless innings for the Clippers, going 1-0 with a pair of saves.
"He accomplished what he needed to accomplish," Wedge said. "He's a welcomed addition, believe me."
The Indians' bullpen has been stretched thin after a week in which injuries, rough starts and rain delays have negatively impacted the rotation.
"We've really taxed the bullpen," Wedge said. "We're asking them for four or five innings a night, it seems."
The Indians are just now beginning to see some consistency out of their bullpen, but they have lacked a true left-on-left setup man. Tony Sipp briefly held the role in the wake of Perez's demotion, but Sipp ran into command woes that sent him back to Columbus. As for Perez, he was 0-1 with a 15.19 ERA at the time of his demotion, but he's downright dominant when on his best game. He came into this season with a career 2.89 ERA and .213 average against.