AL Central

Cleveland Guardians star José Ramírez is known for being extremely confident, so it's not a surprise he compared himself very favorably to one of the best players in MLB history.

On the latest episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast (starts at 19:05 mark), Paul Hoynes explained that he was talking to Ramírez about receiving the Barry Bonds treatment when he drew a four pitch bases-loaded walk in the top of the sixth inning of Sunday's 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

"I'm better than Barry Bonds," Ramírez responded.

The Angels didn't give Ramírez the full Bonds treatment because Bonds' most famous walk with the bases loaded was meant to be intentional.

During a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 28, 1998, D-Backs manager Buck Showalter ordered Bonds to be intentionally walked with two outs, the bases loaded and his team holding an 8-6 lead over the San Francisco Giants.

The move paid off because Brent Mayne followed Bonds by lining out to end the game with an 8-7 win for Arizona.

Ramírez's walk turned out to be the difference in the game. It gave the Guardians a 5-2 lead at the time and they held on to win for their ninth straight victory overall.

It's not hard to figure out why Angels manager Ron Washington didn't want to pitch to Ramírez in that situation. The five-time All-Star is hitting .325/.388/.766 with as many homers as strikeouts (10) in his last 20 games dating back to May 5.

Ramírez hit three homers in the first two games of the weekend series against Los Angeles. He was hitless on Sunday, but still got on base twice via walks, drove in a run and scored a run in the win.

The Guardians have been one of the most pleasant surprises so far this season. They enter Monday with the best record in the American League (36-17). Their current nine-game winning streak is the team's longest since their AL-record 22-game streak in 2017.

Ramírez doesn't quite have as many accolades as Bonds. He's still chasing his first MVP award, so winning seven of them seems like it will be out of the equation.

But when it comes to active big leaguers who teams would prefer not to face in clutch situations, Ramírez is likely to be very high on that list based on his current hot streak and long track record of sustained excellence.

The Baltimore Orioles beat the Chicago White Sox on Thursday, 8-6, but not before an extremely controversial interference call ended the game.

During the bottom of the ninth, Andrew Benintendi hit a pop-up in the infield with two runners on base, triggering the infield fly rule. But as shortstop Gunnar Henderson went to catch the ball, he had to circumvent Andrew Vaughn, who had his back to Vaughn and was walking toward second base.

Vaughn was deemed to have interfered with Henderson and was called out, and the game ended on a bizarre, unassisted double play.

Major League Baseball reportedly reached out to White Sox after the controversial ruling and said the call shouldn't have been made, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers.

By the absolute letter of the law, the ruling was justifiable. Rule 6:01(a) states: "A runner who is adjudged to have hindered a fielder who is attempting to make a play on a batted ball is out whether it was intentional or not."

"Actually the shortstop made contact with him, so with the interference, that's an out," crew chief Adrian Johnson told reporters after the game. "And you still have the infield fly, and that's an out also."

"So there doesn't have to actually even be contact," third-base umpire Junior Valentine added. "If he hinders the fielder in the attempt to field a batted ball, intent is not required and it's interference."

Manager Pedro Grifol said after the game that he understood the rule and why it was called by Valentine, but took issue with the rule itself.

"Their shortstop had plenty of time to catch the baseball, and then if you want to talk about the runner, well, how does he know what the fielder is doing behind him?" he told reporters. "All he did was look at the ball, the ball goes up, he's going back to the bag."

"He didn't make contact on purpose," he continued. "He wasn't trying to impede Gunnar from catching the fly ball. He wasn't doing that. It has nothing to do with the way the umpires called the play. I just have an issue with the rule."

Pedro Grifol on the interference call against Andrew Vaughn at second on Andrew Benintendi's one-out pop up ending Thurs' loss: "They [the umpires] called the play correctly based on the rules. I just don’t like the rule. No game should end like that. That’s just my opinion."

— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) May 24, 2024

Vaughn, meanwhile, had no idea how he could have handled the situation in a way that wouldn't have triggered the call.

"He breezed by me. He uttered something like 'get out of the way' or something. And I was going back to the bag," he told reporters. "I don't know where he's at. I don't know what other decision, I would like an answer to that."

Human error & umpire judgement is part of the game but Andrew Vaughn getting called for obstruction tonight to end the @whitesox game was one of the worst calls I've ever seen. Seriously Ever.

— Ryan Chiaverini (@RyanChiaverini) May 24, 2024

That’s an absolutely awful call and ending to the #WhiteSox game. Andrew Vaughn being called for interference after an infield fly rule.

— Ryan McGuffey (@RyanMcGuffey) May 24, 2024

In this case, it felt like the umpires involved could have used some discretion and evaluated the play in its specific context. The wording of the rule, namely the part that reads "a runner who is adjudged to have hindered a fielder," left open room for umpire interpretation.

Henderson made the play, and fairly easily, with plenty of time after crossing paths with Vaughn. It's hard to argue that Vaughn meaningfully hindered Henderson in any way. Major League Baseball reportedly felt it was an uncharitable application of the rule as well.

The Cleveland Guardians unveiled their 2024 City Connect uniforms on Sunday.

The team revealed the new threads with a pair of social media posts, including a video narrated by hip-hop star Kid Cudi. The team described the uniform as "a celebration of the team's connection to Northeast Ohio, from Berca sandstone to Cleveland teams from the early '90s."

The resiliency of a city, the pride of the ‘90s and the promise of a bright future.

Merch drop ➡️ 10AM ➡️ Guardians Team Store#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/ohgnt5KEGi

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) May 13, 2024

The Guardians' City Connect uniform is HERE 👀

A celebration of the team's connection to Northeast Ohio, from Berca sandstone to Cleveland teams from the early '90s pic.twitter.com/q4XWIlvaSB

— MLB (@MLB) May 13, 2024

Per ESPN's Anthony Gharib, the Guardians will debut their new uniforms on Friday against the Minnesota Twins. The team plans on wearing them for every home Friday game going forward, and it will "rely on player discretion for any additional home games."

Jason Wiedemann, Guardians vice president of Brand, told Gharib that the team wanted the uniforms to resonate with longtime fans of the franchise while also creating a bolder version of their current uniforms.

"We wanted to take this as an opportunity to really [show] what makes Cleveland special, sort of not just from a visual standpoint, but also thematically or what are those sort of characteristics that we think are special about Cleveland and Clevelanders," Wiedemann said.

Gharib noted that the players' reactions to the new uniforms were "positive." They had some involvement in the design process but didn't see the final product until after spring training.

The Guardians snapped a three-game skid by defeating the Chicago White Sox 7-0 on Sunday. Cleveland improved to 25-16 and now leads Minnesota by a half-game for first place in the AL Central.

The Guardians will begin a three-game set against the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers on Monday.

The Kansas City Royals reportedly targeted Luis Arráez in a trade before the Miami Marlins sent him to the San Diego Padres.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Royals checked in as recently as last week, but the Marlins felt San Diego's offer was too good to pass up.

The Padres sent a massive prospect haul of Dillon Head, Jakob Marsee, Nathan Martorella, and Woo-suk Go to Miami in exchange for Arráez over the weekend. Arráez was the NL batting champion in each of his two seasons with the Marlins and is hitting .311/.354/.385 this season.

His ability to hit for average has already drawn comparisons to former Padres slugger Tony Gwynn.

"It was a sight to behold,'' Padres manager Mike Shildt said. "What a talent. … It's hard to have a comp to Tony Gwynn, but if there is one in our modern game, now we have him on our team. And that just feels right.''

Arráez does not hit for much power, draw many walks or steal many bases. His player profile is almost the anthesis of modern baseball, which emphasizes power hitting and walks. Arráez is effective enough as a contact hitter that no hitting coach would ever try changing the way he plays; he's the MLB equivalent of DeMar DeRozan, whose midrange brilliance continues despite the increased prevalence of the three ball.

There was no word on what the Royals were willing to offer for Arráez. It's unlikely Kansas City was willing to match the haul of prospects offered by the Padres, who some around baseball believe overpaid.

The Detroit Tigers became the latest MLB franchise to unveil their City Connect uniforms Monday.

We got next. #MotorCity pic.twitter.com/vhKEHgWeGw

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) May 6, 2024

The Tigers City Connect uniforms are HERE 👀

Welcome to the Motor City 💪 pic.twitter.com/d56wC4zkhO

— MLB (@MLB) May 6, 2024

Eminem in the new Tigers City Connect jersey 👀

(via @tigers) pic.twitter.com/aSIjRqHlDi

— MLB (@MLB) May 6, 2024

The uniforms will make their debut Friday against the Houston Astros.

"The City Connect uniforms represent Detroit's unique combination of muscle and innovation and pay homage to the city that put the world on wheels," Ilitch Sports + Entertainment president/CEO Ryan Gustafson said in a press release. "From the tire treads to the VIN tag to the M-1 patch on the sleeve, there are unique features on the uniforms, caps and batting helmets we feel Tigers fans and Detroiters will appreciate. Above all, the uniforms are symbolic of the revitalization and exciting future ahead for the Tigers and our great city."

The Tigers are the 24th MLB team to have City Connect jerseys since their introduction. By the end of the 2024 season, the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics will be the only two teams without City Connect uniforms.

The Tigers' uniforms are designed to pay homage to Detroit's rich history as an automotive power. The jersey's design is meant to conjure images of a tire tread, and the jersey also features a racing stripe on both sleeves.

If that wasn't enough evidence of the vibe they were going for, the words "Motor City" are adorned across the chest. The jerseys are, in many ways, similar to the Motor City uniforms worn by the Detroit Pistons in the past.

The Tigers are set to wear their City Connect uniforms every Friday home game for the rest of this season.

Using props to celebrate home runs is somewhat common in MLB, but the Minnesota Twins might have one of the strangest celebration props of all time.

After the Twins hit a home run, they toss whichever batter hit it a packaged sausage. Manager Rocco Baldelli explained the strange celebration Sunday, though he didn't offer much of a reason for why a sausage was selected as the prop.

"It's a summer tangy sausage, is what it is. I actually looked at the package yesterday," Baldelli said. "It's bringing us a lot of hits and runs and stuff, so I'm all for it. For anyone that hasn't been following, it's a substantial packaged sausage that (Ryan) Jeffers has been carrying around in his bag and throwing at people when we score runs and hit homers. I'm all for it."

Yes... we apparently have a HR Sausage now.

No... we don't know why. pic.twitter.com/KTFEzSsLsW

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 28, 2024

As Baldelli said, the sausage has brought them many hits, leading to a winning streak. The Twins have won their last six games, sweeping their series against the Chicago White Sox and winning the first two games in a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels.

The runs were plentiful in Saturday's win, as Minnesota handled business 16-5 behind three home runs.

The Twins got off to a slow start this season, but thanks to the win streak they've reached .500 at 13-13 on the year. The club will count on its home run sausage to keep the magic going.

Free agent outfielder Tommy Pham has reportedly signed with the Chicago White Sox, per MLB.com's Juan Toribio. He will earn $3 million and can earn another $1.5 million in performance bonuses.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that Pham joins the White Sox on a minor league deal. Chicago must add him to the roster by April 25 and he can request his release. If traded, Pham will receive $500,000.

In 2023, Pham had 109 hits, 16 home runs and 68 RBI, notching a .256 batting average between his time with the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks. During the Diamondbacks World Series run, Pham had 17 hits, three home runs and four RBI, recording a .279 batting average.

After entering free agency this offseason, Pham held out for a contract he felt was worthy, even if it cost him regular season games. His numbers were solid last year, but his age, 36, made teams hesitant to sign him to a long-term deal. Now, he will begin his time with the White Sox in the minor leagues until the team feels ready to promote him.

Pham joins a struggling, injury-ridden White Sox team. Chicago is off to a miserable 2-14 start this season and has lost Eloy Jiménez, Luis Robert Jr. and Yoán Moncada to injuries in the early part of the year.

While Pham might not be on the major league roster immediately, the White Sox are hoping his addition will give them a much-needed spark.

As the debate wears on regarding the effects the pitch clock has had on injuries around MLB, Cleveland Guardians hurler Shane Bieber didn't blame the rule changes on his unfortunate situation.

Bieber, who will miss the rest of the 2024 season due to Tommy John surgery, told reporters on Monday that he's "not ready to say" what caused his elbow injury.

"Obviously, the conversations are happening," Bieber said (h/t TMZ). "They're continuing to grow louder and they're happening quite a bit more often. So, we'll see what's to come of it. For me, I'm not ready to say what it is. I guarantee it's a combination of a number of factors. And also, all of that on top of logging a lot of innings from now all the way back into college and high school."

Shane Bieber is trying to stay positive as he faces Tommy John surgery and an uncertain future. @CleGuardians #MLB pic.twitter.com/Ed2RRZZRKZ

— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) April 8, 2024

MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark issued a statement over the weekend regarding the union's concern over the uptick in pitcher injuries following the league's rule changes, singling out the pitch clock that was introduced in 2023.

"Despite unanimous player opposition and significant concerns regarding health and safety, the commissioner's office reduced the length of the pitch clock last December, just one season removed from imposing the most significant rule change in decades," Clark stated. "Since then, our concerns about the health impacts of reduced recovery time have only intensified.

"The league's unwillingness thus far to acknowledge or study the effects of these profound changes is an unprecedented threat to our game and its most valuable asset — the players."

Pitchers were given 15 seconds to throw with no baserunners and 20 seconds when someone was on base during the 2023 season. In December, the league's competition committee approved a change to 18 seconds while runners are on base.

In addition to Bieber's injury, the first week of the 2024 season saw the New York Yankees also lose reliever Jonathan Loaisiga to season-ending UCL surgery and the Atlanta Braves place starter Spencer Strider on the injured list with an elbow injury.

The loss of Bieber is devastating to the Guardians staff, as he's a two-time All-Star and he won the AL Cy Young Award in 2020. He added on Monday that he initially felt irritation during his Opening Day start against the Oakland A's, but he assumed it was just soreness and cold temperatures.

The Guardians (7-2) will be looking to extend their win streak to five games when they meet the Chicago White Sox (1-8) on Monday night.

Amid a shaky start to the season, the Chicago White Sox will be without center fielder Luis Robert Jr. for six to eight weeks, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Daryl Van Schouwen.

Robert exited Friday's game against the Kansas City Royals with a left hip flexor injury after reaching second base on a one-out double in the 2-1 loss. He has not returned to the field since and will now be on the injury list for an extended period.

Robert, a fifth-year player, has notched six hits, two home runs and four RBI in 28 at-bats to start the season, recording a .214 batting average.

Robert is coming off one of the best seasons of his career when he notched 144 hits, 38 home runs and 80 RBI with a .264 average. He was Chicago's leader in average, home runs and RBI. This year, he is one of just five White Sox with a home run and one of two with multiple home runs.

Robert's injury comes amid a disastrous 1-8 start for Chicago. The team got its only win of the season last week against the Atlanta Braves and has faced series sweeps against the Detroit Tigers and the Royals.

This week, the White Sox will travel to Cleveland to face the Guardians, where they will look to have more success than they did in their first nine games of the year.

Having Robert on the injury list is a sting for Chicago's offense, but it will need to step up in his absence to try to get the season back on track.

The Chicago White Sox announced Saturday that star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hip flexor strain.

Infielder Lenyn Sosa has been recalled from from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Robert suffered the injury during Friday's 2-1 loss against the Kansas City Royals while rounding first base after a ninth-inning double. He limped his way into second base and was removed from the game.

Robert suffered the same injury in 2021, playing just 68 games for the White Sox that season. He told reporters after the game that he doesn't believe this injury will keep him sidelined as long as the previous iteration:

https://twitter.com/CST_soxvan/status/1776708965079924771

Regardless of the time table, he'll be a major loss for a White Sox team that has started just 1-6 on the season and already saw Eloy Jiménez placed on the 10-day injured list with a left adductor strain and reliever John Brebbia leave Friday's game with a right calf strain.

"He's hard to replace," manager Pedro Grifol told reporters regarding Robert. "You don't replace a guy like him, but at the same time, next man up. We have to go out and continue to fight and do the things we need to do."

The 26-year-old had a career year in 2023, hitting .264 with a .864 OPS and career-high marks in homers (38), RBI (80), stolen bases (20) and runs (90).

"You never want to see someone go down, on whatever side of the ball," White Sox second baseman Nicky Lopez told reporters. "And for one of the best players in baseball, you see that, it gets you down. That guy is so exciting to watch. You just hate to see it. We'll pray for the best. And we'll keep moving forward."

There's no replacing a five-tool player like Robert but the White Sox have options, with Dominic Fletcher and Kevin Pillar capable of handling duties in center field.