Shelley Duncan signs minor league deal with Indians

CLEVELAND (AP) — Outfielders Austin Kearns and Shelley Duncan agreed Tuesday to minor league contracts with the Cleveland Indians.

Kearns, who has played with Cincinnati and Washington, had his 2009 season with the Nationals cut short by an injury to his right thumb. The 29-year-old batted .195 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 80 games.

Kearns, who played in Washington for new Indians manager Manny Acta, has a .256 career average with 105 homers in 542 games. He had his best season in 2006, when he batted a combined .254 with 24 homers and 86 RBIs in 150 games for the Reds and Nationals.

The 30-year-old Duncan was the MVP of the International League last season, when he hit a record 30 homers with 99 RBIs for the New York Yankees’ Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliate. Duncan led the IL in homers, RBIs, runs (85) and extra-base hits (61).

Duncan, the brother of major league outfielder Chris Duncan and son of Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan, also played in 11 games for the Yankees in September. He has a .219 career average in 68 games for New York from 2007-09.