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Chicago White Sox
Almost more impressive than the power #WhiteSox pic.twitter.com/tNfNx5JNia
— Christopher Kamka (@ckamka) April 12, 2014
Avisail Garcia's season-ending labrum injury could be good news for a few other White Sox outfielders -- even if "this is the last way they'd want to receive it." South Side Sox' Jim Margalus highlighted a few potential benefactors of Garcia gruesome injury. Alejandro De Aza will see more regular time in left field, Dayan Viciedo's "last stand" could dilate, and 27-year-old farm captive Jordan Danks could get another shot to join his brother -- John Danks -- on the White Sox roster.
A.J. Piersynski and Jake Peavy will return to Chicago this week as members of the Boston Red Sox, giving fans on the south side of Chicago a chance to see Paul Konerko and his former teammates together on the same field one last time. The Chicago Tribune's Paul Sullivan spoke with Peavy about Chicago, specifically the club's ebbing attendance.
"That's a huge bummer. I hate the situation they're in now with the fans. But I don't know what it takes to get those fans to come out because I want to tell you, down the stretch in 2012, we were in first place in September and we couldn't fill the ballpark when we were playing a team that was right behind us that we were trying to hold off ... I know they're great fans and care a lot, but you've got to stick with your club, good and bad. Hopefully things will turn around and get going. I certainly believe they're heading in the right direction with the staff they have.
Chicago added former Mets closer Frank Francisco on a minor league deal. He will report to Triple-A Charlotte, according to Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. The 34-year-old appeared in just eight games for the Mets last season after revering from elbow surgery.
Cleveland Indians
Written from a fantasy standpoint, RotoGraphs' Chad Young answered the question, "Should you be worried about Justin Masterson?" The Indians 2013 ace is off to a jarring start, but Young doesn't see the right hander's early struggles as a reason to panic.
"Should you expect another career year from 29-year-old righty? Not at all. But if you can find a panicked owner willing to let you buy low, you’ll be glad you did."
Michael Bourn is likely to return to the Indians on Tuesday in Detroit, according to Cleveland.com's Paul Hoynes. Cleveland has been using a combination of Nyjer Morgan and Ryan Raburn to spell Bourn, with Raburn shifting to left and Michael Brantley manning center when Morgan doesn't start. Morgan, who played for the Yokohama DeNa Stars in Japan last season, is hitting .348/.484/.348 in 33 plate appearances so far this season.
He appears to be taking a page out the book of professional wrestling to evolve his Tony Plush alter ego.
Detroit Tigers
Bless You Boys' Catherine Slonksnis went over the early gaffes of rookie third baseman Nick Castellanos, and also highlighted the positives in his game so far. He has made a few rookie mistakes, but the overall results are promising. The 22-year-old is hitting .269/.345/.462 over his first 27 plate appearances.
The Detroit News' Lynne Henning proposed a few changes the Tigers should make in order to stay in first place in the AL Central -- straighten out Alex Avila, find a new everyday shortstop, and reinforce the bullpen.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals haven't been hitting. They have just one of the 377 home runs hit so far in 2014. That's 0.265 percent if you were wondering. In reponse, Royals Review's Craig Brown broke down the Royals "Offensive Offense."
Kansas City lost a game to Minnesota last week that ended on an interference call. Mike Moustakas popped up a foul ball and Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki stumbled into him attempting to field it. Games don't end that way very often, but it was a fitting finish for a game in which the Royals rallied back only to commit an error in the eighth inning that cost them the win.
It's been a frustrating start for the Royals.
#Royals pic.twitter.com/JXn3pBPVFJ
— Kevin Agee (@Kevin_Agee) April 12, 2014
Minnesota Twins
The Twins finished their three-game sweep of the Royals last weekend with a 4-3 win at home. Last season, they went 4-15 against Kansas City, so it seems reasonable to assume they will fair better against their division rivals this season.
Joe Mauer may or may not be responsible for a "rash of mysterious and grisly cattle mutilations across the upper midwest," according to Twinkie Town's RandBall's Stu.