Left-hander David Huff will make a rehab start on the road for the Double-A Akron Aeros tonight at 7:05 p.m. The Aeros will be facing off against the Reading Phillies.

Huff, 27, is recovering from a strained right hamstring that he suffered March 29 at the end of Indians spring training. He was one of the leading early candidates to win the No. 5 position in the starting rotation, but his injury sealed the deal for right-hander Jeanmar Gomez.

Most recently, Huff pitched a simulated game last Monday at Canal Park in Akron. He is expected to pitch four innings or 60 pitches this evening, whichever comes first. He was eligible to come off the disabled list April 14, but no specific timetable is known for when he could return to Cleveland.

Huff holds a 15-25 career MLB record with a 5.50 ERA in 49 games. He was a supplemental first-round draft pick by the Indians in 2006 out of UCLA. He burst through the team’s farm system to make the club in mid-2009, but has struggled to find consistency against major-league hitters ever since.

He did shine in his first 6 starts last year with a 2.08 ERA in 26 innings pitched, before crashing down to earth again. Likely short-term options for Huff could be a return trip to Triple-A as a starter, a move to being a long-relief guy in Cleveland or possibly competing again against Gomez, who has just made one start so far.

Source: [Akron Aeros press release]