House activated from DL, optioned to Triple-A

CHICAGO -- The Indians activated left-hander TJ House (shoulder inflammation) from the 15-day disabled list on Thursday and immediately optioned him to Triple-A Columbus.

With the addition of Shaun Marcum to the rotation -- he allowed two runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings on Wednesday in his first start -- there just wasn't room for House, who has an 0-4 record and 13.15 ERA.

"The reality of it is: Who should we get rid of?" manager Terry Francona said. "I'm not sure it would have been fair to say to Marcum, 'Hey man, thanks for the seven dazzling innings' …

"I think TJ -- he probably doesn't feel like hearing it right now -- but it had been a struggle probably since the middle of spring training. Being able to let him find himself, in the long run, will be much better for everybody. The hope is he'll understand that and do it."

The move leaves the Indians without a left-hander in the rotation, but House will be an option when the team needs a starter later in the season.

"You can never have too much pitching and we've already been through a lot," Francona said. "We've lost [Gavin] Floyd, we've lost [Josh] Tomlin. It's not just us. It happens all over baseball."