Indians to activate Kipnis, start him at CF Sunday

The Cleveland Indians' American League-record win streak may be a thing of the past, but there was still some good news for the club at Progressive Field on Saturday.

Manager Terry Francona announced Jason Kipnis will be activated from the disabled list in time for Sunday's game against the Royals, when he'll make his first professional appearance in center field.

"We're going to add Kip on Sunday," Francona told Cleveland.com's Paul Hoynes. "Hopefully, that helps. He ran the bases today and got the go-ahead from the medical team. It's nice to add somebody as opposed to losing people."

Kipnis has missed significant time this season, most recently due to a hamstring strain suffered in August. It had previously been announced that the two-time All-Star second baseman would move to the outfield, a position he hasn't played since his collegiate days at Arizona State, to help a Cleveland club that's suffering from a multitude of injuries to its outfield corps.

Cleveland, already missing All-Star Michael Brantley and rookie Bradley Zimmer before Saturday, has now added Brandon Guyer to its list of injured outfielders. Guyer experienced a recurrence of his previous wrist injury, Francona told Hoynes, and the skipper added that he won't travel with the club on its upcoming road trip. His absence should ensure Kipnis remains in the lineup down the stretch, health permitting.

Related: Indians to test Kipnis in CF following Zimmer's injury

Kipnis has appeared in just 79 games for Cleveland this season in between stints on the disabled list caused by hamstring and wrist injuries. The 30-year-old has hit just .228/.285/.409 with 11 homers and 22 doubles during his limited appearances.