Indians claim Russ Canzler, designate Jeanmar Gomez for assignment

The Cleveland Indians have claimed corner infielder/outfielder Russ Canzler off of waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays and designated right-hander Jeanmar Gomez for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster, reports Jordan Bastian of MLB.com:

Indians have claimed INF Russ Canzler off waivers from the Blue Jays. RHP Jeanmar Gomez designated for assignment to clear a roster spot.

— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) January 2, 2013

Canzler, 26, was claimed away from the Indians by the Blue Jays right before Christmas. Toronto then tried to sneak the infielder/outfielder through the waiver wire this week, only to have the Indians claim him right back.

The righty-hitting Canzler appeared in 26 games for the Tribe in 2012, hitting .269/.299/.398 with three home runs in 97 plate appearances. He has spent a majority of the last two seasons at Triple-A, where he has batted .289/.365/.508 with 40 home runs in 261 games.

Cleveland still needs to make room on their roster for their two newest acquisitions -- outfielder Nick Swisher and right-hander Brett Myers -- so Canzler could very well find himself on the waiver wire for the third time later this week.

Gomez, 24, started 17 games for the Tribe last season, posting a 5.92 ERA in 90⅔ innings.