Tribe sends Zimmer to Minor League camp

When the American League champions take the field on Opening Day, Bradley Zimmer won't be with them, but their top prospect isn't far behind.
Cleveland reassigned MLB.com's No. 22 overall prospect to Minor League camp Sunday. The move wasn't a surprise as Cleveland informed the outfielder at the beginning of Spring Training that he wasn't in Major League camp to win a job, but Indians manager Terry Francona gave a clear recipe for Zimmer to reach that goal.

"We told him, 'Knock the door down,'" Francona told MLB.com. "'Make us call you up.'"
If his spring is any indication, it might not be long before that door gives way. Zimmer, who almost certainly will start his season with Triple-A Columbus, has compiled a .358/.424/.660 slash line through 23 Cactus League games. The 24-year-old has eight extra-base hits, including three homers, of his 19 total knocks, with six multi-hit games. He and the team have credited some of that offensive success to an overhauled swing Zimmer has employed this spring.
Zimmer played 130 games between Double-A Akron and Columbus last season and batted a combined .250/.365/.425 with 15 homers and 62 RBIs -- both one shy of matching career highs -- earning MiLB.com Organization All-Star honors for the second straight year. The outfielder was also named an Eastern League All-Star with Akron before his promotion to Triple-A in late July
After the season, Zimmer was selected to the Arizona Fall League. He played in 22 games for Mesa, hitting .257/.421/.514 with four homers and 16 RBIs on the way to a Rising Stars Game selection and All-Prospect Team accolades.
In other roster moves, the Tigers reassigned No. 5 prospectJoe Jiménez to Minor League camp.
After a two-homer, four-RBI game on Sunday, Oakland's No. 19 prospectBruce Maxwell was sent to Triple-A Nashville.