CLEVELAND -- Now that J.C. Mejia is getting his work in at Triple-A Columbus, the Indians are left with a hole in their rotation that they will need to fill by the end of the week.

Cleveland is still working through its options for Saturday’s matchup against the Tigers at Comerica Park, but the team could lean toward the same setup that was successful on Monday against the Reds, when Sam Hentges opened a bullpen game. However, so much of this plan would have to be determined by which arms they use leading up to Saturday’s contest and the game plan for the Tigers.

“One of the things with Cincinnati with [Hentges] starting is he was so left-handed dominant, we kind of minimized their lineup with left-handers,” Indians acting manager DeMarlo Hale said. “They only put three in there. They had the opportunity to put six if it was a right-hander. We’ll look and after a couple of days, we’ll dive into the numbers of Detroit because they’ve got some lefties and switch-hitters, but we’ll make that decision here soon.”

If Hentges, who gave up one run on four hits in two frames against the Reds, does get the ball in Detroit, the team would likely stick with the same plan, limiting him to just two innings of work.

“We can’t ask him to go out there and throw 80, 90 pitches, because he was stretched out early, but now he settled back into the bullpen,” Hale said. “But we’ll definitely talk about that and make the right decision, [based on] what we feel is needed.”

Hale was clear that he doesn’t see Justin Garza, who owns a 2.35 ERA in his first seven appearances for Cleveland, moving out of his bullpen role. The temporary skipper wants to make sure that he doesn’t take Garza out of the element that’s made him so successful to start his big league career.

The other options the Indians have are in Triple-A, including Logan Allen or Brad Peacock. However, only one of the starters -- Kirk McCarty -- in Columbus has an ERA below 5.30. Allen has pitched to a 5.40 ERA in his last six outings since his demotion from the big league roster, and Peacock has posted a 10.80 mark in seven appearances (six starts) since joining the Indians’ organization.

McCarty has pitched to a 4.56 ERA in 15 starts this season with 59 strikeouts and 24 walks in 79 innings. But instead of tapping into more of their pitching depth, it seems more probable that the Indians will try to get through another week relying on the bullpen.

The Swiss Army knife

Cleveland has run into issues at points this season, needing players to fill in at first base when Bobby Bradley was injured, including having outfielder Harold Ramirez and backstop Roberto Pérez each make their first career appearances at first. Now that Owen Miller is on the active roster, he’ll be the everyday first baseman until Bradley returns from the injured list (left knee contusion). And assuming Ernie Clement isn’t at another position and can’t be moved, he’ll be the official backup at first base for the time being.

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“We’re giving Bobby some days to see where it’s at, but if Owen Miller needs a break, and young players do need a break, Ernie would be the choice over there,” Hale said. “You ask and he’ll do anything. [They were] like, ‘Who’s the emergency catcher?’ and he was like, ‘I’ll go back there.’ He’s become the Swiss Army knife, so to speak. But he’d be the guy I think I’d go to.”