Hafner Could Play First This Weekend

In order to keep Travis Hafner in the lineup this weekend with no DHing allowed in the National League Parks, Eric Wedge may have to sit one of his more hotter bats.

Up until three days ago Garko wouldn't have exactly been hot, but he had 5 RBIs against Oakland this week. If Hafner's elbow holds up, he should play at least two of the games in Cincinnati.

"We want to try and have him in there as much as we can," said Wedge. "If we have him in there, you're going to have to take Ryan Garko or someone else out.

"We're going to see how he feels physically. . . . He's been taking ground balls and throwing a little bit." (The Plain Dealer)

As you may or may not know, Hafner has battled elbow problems in the past, which has been the primary reason he can't play first base. A lot of people say he isn't very good defensively, but he isn't exactly a slouch there. I bet if he had consistent playing time at first, he wouldn't be a bad every day option there.