Fun with rehab schedules

The rehab stars du jour Wednesday will be DH Travis Hafner and 2B Josh Barfield before Victor Martinez catches nine innings on Thursday, Bisons manager Torey Lovullo said tonight. As it stands, the plan calls for the three players to play every other day.

Don't count on the Tribe's one-time middle-of-the-order punch being on the field together in the coming days, though Lovullo said it's possible if Martinez and Hafner stay long enough. The Indians won't speculate on the length of the pair's stay in Buffalo.

"We really don't want to put any timeframe on it," Indians assistant general manager John Mirabelli said before the Bisons' 10-1 win over Lehigh Valley tonight. "The ultimate goal is just to get them in the big leagues to see where they're at."

That holds true particularly for Hafner, one of Cleveland's greatest question marks moving forward.

"There is some unknown there," Mirabelli said. "The fatigue level, the strength of his shoulder, we don't know where he's at."

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Nice gesture by the Bisons in honoring Jason Cooper, who played in his 401st game with the Herd tonight to surpass Tom Prince and become the franchise's modern era leader in games played. The Bisons couldn't have executed the celebration any better, with Lovullo offering Cooper a last-minute directive to ensure the team's classiest player was properly recognized.

"Torey kind of grabbed me before the inning and told me he was going to [put me in]," Cooper said. "It kind of gives you those butterflies inside."

When the record was announced, Cooper tipped his cap as the crowd of 9,767 gave him a standing ovation.

"It's such a special achievement for me to say I've been here that long," Cooper said. "It's almost bittersweet because I feel like this is the last time i might be here for a while. But to do this here at home, it's something I'll always remember."

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Reminder to fans of Bisons baseball and rehab stints alike: the first 4,000 fans at Dunn Tire Park Wednesday night will receive an Offermann Stadium replica. The promotion is at the Swan Street gate only.

--- David Briggs