"Travis Hafner might not miss the rest of the season, after all.

"Travis came back from the doctor with Lonnie [head trainer Lonnie Soloff] and got some encouraging news," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "I think we'll see him again this year."

Hafner is on the disabled list with a strained foot. Acta doesn't know when he will be healthy enough to play, but he is eligible to be activated Sept. 6.

When Hafner does return, the manager will have two designated hitters, which he can use to his advantage.

"When we bring him back, he won't be able to play every day," Acta said. "Jim Thome can't either. Our advantage is that if I pinch run for one of them in the seventh, the one that didn't start can come in the game."

ROSTER DAY — Today, rosters can be expanded to 40, but whether the Tribe pulls the trigger on anyone wasn't certain Wednesday night.

"It depends on how things go tonight, how our bullpen shapes up," Acta said. "There might be a guy we call up, but we might wait until another date, too."

Relievers Nick Hagadone and Josh Judy are almost sure to be called up at some point, but both have to wait 10 days from the time they were optioned back to Triple-A. That means Hagadone can't return until Wednesday; Judy can be summoned on Saturday."