22 Jason Kipnis 2B

Kipnis will start at second base and bat second Sunday against the Mariners, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Kipnis had batted no higher than fifth in any of the Tribe's past 11 contests, but he'll move into the two hole with Leonys Martin (hamstring) unavailable. The Indians view Martin as day-to-day and are optimistic he'll avoid a trip to the injured list, so Kipnis' move between stars Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez in the order could prove to be a short-lived one.

Kipnis is not in the lineup for Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Braves, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.

Kipnis went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk in the Indians' 8-4 win Saturday afternoon but will head to the bench for the nightcap. Mike Freeman grabs the start at second base while Francisco Lindor (ankle/calf) makes his season debut at shortstop.

Kipnis went 2-for-4 with a double and a stolen base Tuesday in the Indians' 4-2 win over the Mariners.

The Indians have wasted little time in ushering Kipnis back into a prominent role since he was activated from the 10-day injured list Monday. After batting sixth in Monday's series-opening victory, Kipnis served as the No. 3 hitter Tuesday with right-hander Mike Leake on the mound and turned in a productive showing at the dish. With the return of Francisco Lindor (ankle) on the horizon, Kipnis may not stick in the three hole for much longer, but Kipnis probably won't be in store for a substantial drop down the batting order in light of the underwhelming options that typically round out Cleveland's lineups.

Kipnis is starting at second base and will bat sixth Monday against Seattle, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.

As expected, Kipnis will draw the start at the keystone in his first game back with the ballclub. Monday marks his first big-league action in 2019, so he may show signs of rust at the dish.

Kipnis (calf) was activated from the 10-day injured list Monday and will be available to play against Seattle.

This move was expected after Cleveland announced late Sunday night that they'd designated Brad Miller for assignment. Kipnis missed the first few weeks of the season with a calf strain but figures to enter the starting lineup at the keystone for Monday's season opener against a streaking Seattle ballclub. Max Moroff will head to a bench role moving forward, assuming Kipnis is immediatley inserted into the starting nine.