AL CENTRAL
Chicago White Sox
It took 11 games and came in his 27th at-bat, but center fielder
Jacob May finally got his first career hit April 22 with a pinch single off Cleveland Indians righthander Carlos Carrasco.
“Now that the gorilla is off my back, hopefully I can have a lot of success and help this team win,” May said.
Slow starts run in the family. His grandfather, Lee May, went hitless in his first 14 at-bats with the Cincinnati Reds in the 1965 and 1966 seasons, but the slugging first baseman wound up with 2,031 hits in an 18-year career.
Jacob May beat out veteran Peter Bourjos for the starting job in spring training. Bourjos was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays, and the White Sox plan to stick with May. uRight- hander Mike Pelfrey lost his White Sox debut April 22, giving up four runs, two earned, in 41⁄ innings against the Indians. 3 Released by the Detroit Tigers in spring training, the 34-year-old was signed as a free agent and assigned to Class AAA Charlotte, where he was 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA in two starts. uPelfrey was called up when right-hander James Shields was placed on the disabled list because of a strained back muscle. Shields was confident of being activated Thursday, the first day he is eligible.
Cleveland Indians
Second baseman Jason Kip
nis made his season debut April 21 against the White Sox.
The two-time All-Star sat out the first 15 games on the disabled list because of a sore right shoulder. The injury also had limited him to two exhibition games.
Kipnis went 1-for-7 with a walk in his first three games, two of them starts. Last season, the eight-year veteran set career highs with 23 home runs and 91 runs while hitting .275/.343/.469 (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage) in 156 games.
Kipnis was slotted sixth in the order after primarily hitting in the No. 2 hole last year. Manager
Terry Francona did not want to change his top five of Carlos
Santana,Michael carnacionaboutviewbase“I uRamirezadmitafterKip it,” as Francona Brantley,being FranciscoI and a had six-hole returnedJosethea lot said. Indians’Edwinof Ramirez.Lindor,hitter.”to anxiety“I third don’t En- primary Kipnis’tionshit .345/.415/.618did second absence.not bother baseman Switchingwith Ramirezfour during posi- hom-— he ers only in one15 gameserror. and committed uRookie Yandy Diaz was optioned to Class AAA Columbus (Ohio) when Kipnis was activated. As the fill-in third baseman, Diaz hit .236/.295/.255 in 15 games but still impressed Francona. “There’s a lot of chance he’s going to be a really good hitter,” Francona said.
Detroit Tigers
JaCoby Jones was placed on the DL after a scary moment April 22. The rookie center fielder was hit in the left side of the mouth by a pitch from Minnesota Twins rookie Justin Haley.
Jones was taken to a hospital and diagnosed with a lip lacer- ation. The Tigers didn’t have a timetable for how long he would be out.
Outfielder Jim Adduci was called up from Class AAA Toledo (Ohio), but switch-hitting An
drew Romine is expected to be the regular center fielder during Jones’ absence.
“It’s no fun to get hit. It’s a whole other story (when) you get hit in the face,” catcher James
McCann said. “No protection. That’s not a lot of fun, and you don’t like to see that happen to your teammates.”
Left-hander Matthew Boyd was ejected later in the game when he threw a pitch behind Twins third baseman Miguel Sano, prompting both benches to empty. Sano got a one-game suspension, which he appealed, while Boyd got only a fine.
uFirst baseman Miguel Cabrera went on the DL because of a strained right groin, but the Tigers hope he can return when he’s first eligible May 1. Without another first baseman on the roster, backup catchers Alex
Avila and John Hicks will fill in.
uHicks was recalled from Toledo to take Cabrera’s roster spot. The 27-year-old rookie hit .424/.412/.606 with one home run in 10 games for the Mud Hens.
Kansas City Royals
Second baseman Whit Merrifield and outfielder Jorge Bonifacio will get a chance to prove they can be starters.
Bonifacio was called up from Class AAA Omaha (Papillion, Neb.) on April 21, and Whitfield was moved into the lineup while second baseman Raul Mondesi and right fielder Paulo Orlando were optioned to Omaha.
Bonifacio, the 23-year-old younger brother of Atlanta Braves utility player Emilio Bonifacio, hit .314/.386/.608 with three home runs in 13 games with Omaha. Sunday, he got his first major league hits, a single and a homer.
After playing in 81 games for the Royals last year as a rookie, Merrifield began this season at Omaha and was recalled April 18.
Mondesi hit .103/.167/.179 with 16 strikeouts in 46 plate appearances. Orlando batted .149/.184/ .149 with no extra-base hits and 15 strikeouts in 50 trips to the plate. uRookie left-handed reliever
Matt Strahm was recalled from Omaha after pitching five scoreless innings in four appearances. He began the season with the Royals but was sent down after allowing seven runs in 11⁄ innings 3 over three games.
uRight fielder Jorge Soler (strained muscle in left side) began a rehab assignment with Omaha on April 21 and went 3-for-10 with a home run in his first three games.
Minnesota Twins
With the Twins temporarily going to a four-man rotation because of off days in the schedule, struggling rookie left-hander
Adalberto Mejia was optioned to Class AAA Rochester (N.Y.).
Mejia was 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA in three starts (91⁄ innings). He 3 did not get past the third inning in two outings.
While Meija had 10 strikeouts, those were offset by eight walks.
“I’m just trying to work on my mechanics and get back to what I was doing,” Mejia said. “I’m trying to make that adjustment.”
Mejia was acquired from the San Francisco Giants last July 28 in a trade for All-Star infielder Eduardo Nunez. uRookie right-handed reliever
Justin Haley was placed on the disabled list April 22 because of right biceps tendinitis, a day after hitting the Tigers’ JaCoby Jones in the face with a pitch. uInfielder Ehire Adrianza (strained muscle in right side) began a rehab assignment with high Class A Fort Myers (Fla.). He went 6-for-15 (.400) with two doubles in his first three games.
“That’s why I give the same answer every time. I don’t have control. Same answer. It’s baseball. It is what it is.” White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana, on being the subject of constant trade rumors