Indians alumni named special assistants

Travis Hafner and John McDonald are back with the Indians as they will serve as Special Assistants to Player Development and Scouting.

Hafner was with the club for 10 years and is eighth on the franchise's home run list with 200. There had been some speculation during the winter meetings that Hafner was in line for one of the roving minor league hitting instructor openings. Indians farm director Connor Hawkins said last month that there were still discussions with Hafner about a role in the organization.

McDonald, who was drafted by the Indians in the 12th round in 1996, retired during the offseason after playing with eight teams during his 16-year career. He had two stints in Cleveland (1999-2004 and 2013). Both Hafner and McDonald will be in uniform for all part of spring training.

Charles Nagy will also be at spring training and will be a Special Assistant to Player Development for the second straight year. Nagy played 13 seasons with the Tribe and was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in 2007.

They Indians other special assistants are Tim Belcher, Steve Lubratich, Dave Malpass, Don Poplin and Edwin Rodriguez.

Pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear, Ariz., on Feb. 18 with the first workout two days later. The rest of the squad reports on Feb. 22 with the first full team workout on Feb. 24.