CLEVELAND -- On Wednesday, Indians manager Terry Francona said that it was time for his younger, more inexperienced talent to get a chance to impact the big league team, and the Tribe seems to be sticking with that theme.

Prior to Saturday’s contest against the Rays, the Tribe recalled outfielder Greg Allen and selected the contract of left-hander Josh D. Smith from Triple-A Columbus. To make room for them on the 25-man roster, catcher Eric Haase and starter Adam Plutko were sent down to Columbus.

Smith makes debut
Smith got home from his game Friday night and got a call around 11:30 p.m. ET from Triple-A Columbus manager Tony Mansolino, informing him he was going up to the Major Leagues. He woke his wife up to tell her the news, packed and struggled to fall asleep before making the two-hour drive Saturday morning to Cleveland.

“I guess it still really hasn’t set in,” Smith said. “I just knew I had to get here, and I felt kind of rushed. But once I got here and got my work day in, I feel good now.”

Smith was called on to pitch during Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Rays, going 1 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out three.

Smith, 29, was drafted in 2012 by the Pirates and remained in their organization for seven seasons until he elected free agency at the end of last year. The Indians signed him on Dec. 1 and got a brief look at him during Spring Training.

“I mean, I guess it just proves that it works out if you just keep going at it,” Smith said. “I’ve done the winter ball stints and three or four years in Double-A. It felt like I couldn’t get out of there. Once I finally did, I just kept gaining momentum, and like I said, going to big league camp really helped. I felt like I gained a lot of momentum, confidence.”

In 17 relief appearances with the Clippers, Smith went 5-1 with three saves and a 1.82 ERA, with 10 walks and 32 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings. Opponents batted just .099 against him, and he limited left-handed batters to .032 (1-for-31) with runners on base and didn't allow a hit with runners in scoring position.

Because the Indians haven’t been getting much depth from their starting pitching over the past week, they wanted to add a ninth arm in the bullpen.

“... The Triple-A staff had been kind of raving about the way he’s been pitching,” Francona said. “So it gives us an opportunity to get him here and see him while also getting an extra arm in our bullpen.”

Allen returns, but it could be a short stay
Allen broke camp with the Indians, but he was optioned to Triple-A on April 28. Francona had told the 26-year-old that he was miscast in the Tribe’s lineup, using him as a right-handed presence in the batting order without getting the switch-hitter many at-bats from the left side.

“I understood it and understood that they’re doing their jobs to put the best nine guys on the field,” Allen said. “If it’s not me or it’s somebody else getting the job done, you hope that there’s somewhere down the road you can. And in the meantime, you do the best you can to get yourself back and get yourself in a place where you can produce.”

The team decided to send Allen down to find his swing, and he hit .284 (.782 OPS) with 13 runs, five doubles, one triple, two homers and four RBIs in 21 games with the Clippers. He batted ninth on Saturday, going 0-for-3, and played left field, but Francona made sure he knew there’s a chance he won’t be with the big league club for a long stint.

“It could be short-lived,” Francona said. “We wanted to make sure he knew that coming in. And like I told him, I said, ‘Hey, be yourself. Do what you do and we’ll communicate with you honestly.’”

The options
Haase was a brief replacement for Roberto Perez, who had suffered a mild concussion on Tuesday. He went 0-for-6 in his two games with the Tribe. Plutko made two starts for Cleveland. After his one-hit gem through six innings on May 18 in a win over the Orioles, he allowed seven runs on 12 hits through 5 1/3 in Thursday's loss to the Rays. Plutko was scheduled to pitch in Boston on Tuesday, but now the Tribe will have to invest in a different option. Francona said he’ll make that decision on Sunday.