News and notes
Chicago White Sox
Alen Hanson once was considered among the best prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Now the White Sox will see if they can get his career on track.
The 24-year-old infielderoutfielder was claimed off waivers June 9. He hit .193 in 37 games for the Pirates this season.
Hanson has played second base, third base, shortstop and right field in the major leagues. He also is capable of playing center field. Baseball America ranked him as the 61st-best prospect in baseball before the 2014 season.
“He seems like a very nice kid, so a change of scenery could help him,” manager Rick Renteria said.
Right- hander James Shields, suffering from a right lat injury, gave up five runs (three earned) in a combined nine innings in his first two rehab starts with Class AAA Charlotte. There was no firm timetable for his return. Shields has been sidelined since April 17 after going 1-0 with a 1.62 ERA in three starts.
Left- hander Carlos Rodon (left biceps bursitis), who has been on the disabled list since the beginning of the season, had his rehab assignment moved to Charlotte after making one start for high Class A Winston-Salem (N.C.). In his first game at Class AAA on Sunday, Rodon allowed four runs on five hits in 32⁄3 innings while walking four and striking out three.
Cleveland Indians
Francisco Lindor had been slump-proof since making his major league debut in June 2015.
But after going 1-for-4 on Sunday in a win vs. the White Sox, the shortstop was 7-for-45 in his last 12 games. That dropped his batting average to .259 from .283. Lindor hit a combined .306 in his first two seasons.
Lindor had hit 12 home runs through 59 games, three off his career high from last season.
“I think you’ll see he’s too good a hitter not to get hot,” manager
Terry Francona said. “And this is probably the lowest he’s been average-wise. That’s pretty good.”
Right- hander Danny Sala-
zar (shoulder soreness) will not be activated from the disabled list Saturday to start in a doubleheader against the host Minnesota Twins, as originally hoped. After he felt stiffness during a bullpen session, he had an MRI on Friday that confirmed that the shoulder was not healed.
Salazar was placed on the DL after he left in the second inning of a game against the host Kansas City Royals on June 3 because of the injury. Right- hander Mike Clevinger will be recalled from Class AAA Columbus (Ohio) to start against the Twins in the doubleheader. He was sent down June 7 because the Indians needed only four starters in a stretch that included three off days in eight days.
Detroit Tigers
Justin Verlander didn’t come off an injury scare a winner, but he returned healthy.
The veteran right-hander showed no ill effects of a right groin injury Saturday when he pitched five innings in a loss to the host Boston Red Sox. Verlander allowed three runs and threw 108 pitches.
He left in the third inning of his previous start, June 4 against the White Sox.
“I was cognizant of it, but it made it through about as good as I could have hoped for,” Verlander said. “I was just aware of it and not trying to overdo anything.”
Manager Brad Ausmus did not clear Verlander to start until seeing him throw two days earlier off the bullpen mound.
“His health is key,” Ausmus said. “He’s a horse. He drives the wagon.” Catcher James McCann (left hand cut) was activated from the disabled list Friday after missing nearly two weeks. He went 1-for-12 in his first three games back, dropping his average to .192. First baseman Miguel Cabrera avoided injury when he was struck in the head by teammate Nicholas Castellanos’ batting helmet June 7 during a game against the Los Angeles Angels. The third baseman angrily slammed the helmet into a cubbyhole in the dugout after being replaced by a pinch-runner.
Kansas City Royals
Ramon Torres had a major league debut to remember.
The 24-year-old infielder played second base June 7 and went 2-for-4 with a double against the AL West-leading Houston Astros. Torres was called up from Class AAA Omaha (Papillion, Neb.) earlier in the day, seven years after he was signed as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic.
Torres was hitting .327 in 53 games at Omaha with five home runs and eight stolen bases. He split playing time between the two middle-infield positions. Torres gives the Royals a second utility infielder to go with Cheslor Cuthbert, which allows second baseman Whit Merri
field to get occasional starts in the outfield.
Rookie reliever Scott Alexander was activated from the disabled list June 7. He allowed three runs (one earned) in twothirds of an inning, and his sinker had so much movement that it bent catcher Salvador Perez’s thumb on his left hand, forcing Perez to leave the game. Alexander worked 42⁄3 scoreless innings over the weekend against the host San Diego Padres, lowering his ERA to 1.37 in 13 appearances. He missed four weeks because of a strained right hamstring.
Rookie reliever Kevin McCarthy was optioned to Omaha when Alexander was activated. McCarthy made a strong impression, pitching 61⁄3 scoreless innings over four appearances.
Minnesota Twins
Nik Turley waited a long time to make his major league debut.
The 27-year-old right-hander was called up from Class AAA Rochester (N.Y.) and pitched four innings Sunday in a 13-8 loss to the host San Francisco Giants, getting lifted for a pinch-hitter after allowing four runs.
Turley’s professional career began in 2008 when the New York Yankees selected him in the 50th and final round of the amateur draft. He also played in the minor leagues with the Giants and Boston Red Sox as well as in the independent Atlantic League.
“The journey, it’s been a long one, it feels like,” he said. “It’s been pretty bumpy, too. It’s special, everything about it.”
Hall of Famer Rod Carew will throw out a ceremonial first pitch July 3 before the game against the Los Angeles Angels. It will be his first visit to Minnesota since receiving a heart and kidney transplant last year. Carew played for the Twins from 1967 to 1978.
Though right-hander Ervin Santana hit a three-run double Friday in a victory against the Giants, no Twins pitcher has homered since the DH rule went into effect in 1973.
“Double. Definitely.” Twins right-hander Ervin Santana on whether hitting a three-run double or pitching a four-hit shutout was his bigger highlight Friday in a 4-0 win against the San Francisco Giants