Jake Westbrook made a rehab start at Akron Friday night and looked like he needed more rehab time. He said he felt fine, which is good news regarding his left abdominal strain. But in his two rehab starts with Triple-A Buffalo and Akron, he’s gotten hit hard. Friday he allowed four runs on five hits and three walks in just 2 1/3 innings. I wrote for Saturday’s story that results don’t usually matter as much as how a guy feels, but in this case, maybe it should mean something.

Before Westbrook’s start, there was a flurry of activity in the Aeros lockeroom.

Michael Aubrey was lounging around the clubhouse during the game, which means he will be activated as early as Saturday. While many Aeros fans welcome his bat (he hit .400 with five home runs in 13 games with Class-A Kinston) it’s tough to see first baseman Jordan Brown have move to accomodate Aubrey. Plus, it’ll be interesting to see what roster move the team makes for Aubrey. If Brown has to move, he’ll move to an already crowded outfield. The Tribe’s deep thinkers will have to decide - do they put another guy on the phantom DL? Do they dare send struggling Trevor Crowe down to Kinston to find his stroke and create room? Do they really want to bench veteran Jon Van Every, who has as hot of a bat as Brown right now?

It’ll definitely be a tough call. I’d send Crowe down if were up to me, but I don’t think the Indians would do that.

An hour or so before Aubrey arrived, Infielder Rodney Choy Foo was activated from the DL and Shuan Larkin returned to his coaching duties at first base.

Then about 45 minutes before game time, back up catcher Javier Herrera found out he had been traded to tha Washington Nationals. He was as stunned as his teammates. At the time he didn’t know for sure where he was headed, but a good guess is Double-A Harrisburg. The Senators just happen to play in Akron again on July 16-18 - giving anyone who wishes they had a chance to say good bye and good luck to one of the truly classisest guys to have worn an Akron uniform an opportunity.

The revolving door that has become the Aeros bullpen spun some more over the past week as the Aeros added right-hander T.J. Burton to the mix from Class-A Kinston.

Burton joins recent newcomers in left-hander Rich Rundles from Extended Spring Training and right-hander Randy Newsom from Kinston - both, as luck would have it, are sidearmers.

“You have a bunch of guys out there now who are bullpen guys, and have been,” Aeros manager Tim Bogar said. “I like the way our bullpen sets up now. I like having Newsom and Rundles like that and (Reid) Santos closing the game.”

Bogar was referring to the Aeros starting the season with a handful of pitchers in the bullpen who were really starters like Joe Ness (who’s now in the starting rotation) and Jake Dittler (since promoted to Triple-A Buffalo).

On Monday, right-hander Nick Pesco joined the group from Triple-A Buffalo, giving Bogar even more options late in the game.

Newsom earned his first save Tuesday night in the Aeros 5-3 win - a sight Aeros fans ought to get used to, especially with Santos struggling as of late.