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As if trading Chris Sale wasn’t going to be complicated enough for the Chicago White Sox, then he had to go and carve up some jerseys.

If that second part lost you, boy do you have a story to get caught up on.

After Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Thursday that the White Sox were prepared to sell at the August 1 trade deadline, the talk around Sale earlier on Saturday concerned whether he would be dealt. When the White Sox then scratched their ace left-hander from his start against the Detroit Tigers, MLBTradeRumors.com presumably started having some pretty good traffic.

But then, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement that Sale had actually been sent home due to a “clubhouse incident before the game.” A few vague reports later, Tommy Stokke of FanRag Sports provided the gory details:

Yup. This is a thing that actually happened.

And thanks to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, we have a clear-ish picture of why. A source told him Sale’s initial protest was over the jerseys—of which the White Sox had earlier tweeted a picture—being “uncomfortable.” When the White Sox wouldn’t relent, Sale let his frustration over his perception that “PR and jersey sales were more important than winning” guide his actions.

This is not the first time Sale has lashed out at his superiors. Although Rosenthal says he was not involved in this incident, you’ll recall Sale had an angry exchange with White Sox Vice President Kenny Williams over the Adam LaRoche fiasco that unfolded in spring training.

Sale’s 14-3 record, 3.18 ERA, 4.45 strikeout-to-walk ratio and recent All-Star start are just a few things that confirm the 27-year-old is still a very good pitcher. But in the last 24 hours, we’ve learned he’s also a piece of trade bait who’s less than pleased with the way things are going in Chicago.

It’s hard to blame Sale for that. The White Sox entered Saturday at 46-50, putting them in line for a fourth straight losing season. But it’s easy to blame him for creating this latest controversy. Instead of sucking it up and taking the high road, he played the part of a problem child crying over spilled milk.

By all accounts, this had nothing to do with the trade rumors. But now we wait to see if said trade rumors will be affected by it.

The early indication is there’s no change on Chicago’s end. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com’s latest report says the White Sox are no more willing to trade Sale than they were before. If that’s true, it tells us the White Sox understand what they should be doing: carrying on as if nothing’s happened and seeing what’s what.

On the trade market, that means continuing to peddle Sale at an enormous price. A report from Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports put it at “five top prospects.” That’s the kind of asking price that makes it loud and clear that suitors have to come to the White Sox, because the White Sox don’t have to go to them.

“I would expect them to ask for the moon,” a rival general manager told Heyman. “I think they have no interest in moving him unless it’s a no-brainer deal.”

But the question now is whether any of Sale’s biggest suitors—i.e. the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox or Los Angeles Dodgers—are any more willing to meet that price after Saturday’s events. As Stokke suggested in a radio interview (via Adam Kaufman), the answer may be no:

This could actually be true. The White Sox can act like Sale doesn’t want out, but potential trade partners can just as easily act like he does and try to call the White Sox’s bluff. That creates two possible scenarios.

Scenario No. 1: There is no bluff to call.

Despite the bad blood between Sale and his employers, the fact remains he’s an ace pitcher. Not only that, but he’s also still an affordable ace pitcher. The contract extension he signed in 2013 is only paying him $9.15 million this year, with just $39.5 million more on the way if his options for 2018 and 2019 are picked up. That’s a small price to pay for a guy who’s been a top-five pitcher since 2012.

So unless Hahn, Williams or White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is feeling petty over Saturday’s drama, nobody in a position to make a call on Sale is going to stand up and say, “He has to go.” That would be easy if he was some scrub threatening to drag down a winning team, but he’s a star who can only buoy a team that’s already bad.

Scenario No. 2: There is a bluff to call. Or at least just enough of one to get the White Sox to relent.

It would be one thing if Sale had done something bad enough to shave more than just a prospect (“maybe”) off his trade value, but he didn’t. And although four top prospects isn’t the same as five top prospects, the downgrade is only from “really strong offer” to a plain ol’ “strong offer.”

If 2016 was just one bad year on a timeline with a bright future, rejecting it would be the obvious choice for the White Sox. But in their case, 2016 is the latest in a string of down years, and their farm system doesn’t offer much hope of a turnaround. Baseball America had Chicago’s system ranked at No. 23 in the spring, and now it’s without shortstop Tim Anderson and right-hander Carson Fulmer.

And even if the White Sox don’t want to get rid of Sale, they could at least be open to it. If the bad blood subsides, there will cease to be questions about his trade value. But if it doesn’t, the questions could persist or multiply. So, perhaps they’ll make a blockbuster deal now that they might not be able to make later.

Which will it be in coming days? That puts us in best-guess territory, so here’s mine: Sale ends up staying in Chicago.

The odds of a trade were probably low to begin with. There are only a handful of teams that can afford to pay the White Sox’s price, and his talent and contract gave them two reasons not to budge. Although it makes for good headline material, the White Sox shouldn’t let what happened Saturday overrule either of those motivations.

But if nothing else, there’s no denying this whole situation is weirder than it was before. Maybe it wasn’t his intent, but Sale effectively voiced his say in his trade value when he cut up those jerseys. As a result, talks between the White Sox and his suitors are going to have a different tenor.

That shouldn’t matter…but we’ll see.

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked.

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Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale did not make his scheduled start against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday, but it wasn’t because he was traded or injured.

Rather, Tommy Stokke of FanRag Sports cited a source who noted a “blowup” occurred because Sale “didn’t want to wear throwbacks, so he cut the jerseys up so no one could wear them.”

Naturally, Twitter had a field day with the strange story. 

The White Sox released a statement on Twitter before the game, attempting to explain what happened without delving into the specifics that social media found so humorous:

CBS Sports tried to re-enact the scene:

Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Sun had some fun with the cutting angle:

Jonah Keri of CBS Sports approved of Chicago’s throwbacks:

Fans of the rival Cubs enjoyed the storyline from the city’s South Side, as Bleacher Nation’s Brett Taylor indicated:

Jesse Spector of Sporting News connected the Sale incident to the other big weekend story in baseball:

Here’s the best of the rest:

Even if Sale goes on to win the American League Cy Young Award, many baseball fans will likely remember Saturday’s incident as the biggest story involving the ace this season.

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Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale did not take the mound Saturday for his scheduled start against the Detroit Tigers after a disagreement over the team’s choice of jersey.

The White Sox released a statement on Twitter before the game against their division rivals, noting he was “sent home” because of a “clubhouse incident.”

Tommy Stokke of FanRag Sports cited a source who said the “blowup was because he didn’t want to wear throwbacks, so he cut the jerseys up so no one could wear them.” Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports confirmed the report, while Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports quoted a source who said, “Sale asked that they not wear (throwbacks) on his day because they are uncomfortable. Things escalated when they wouldn’t relent.”

Rosenthal also cited a source who said Sale had picked the jersey the team wore in each of his previous starts, which is something every White Sox starter has done this year. Julie DiCaro of 670 The Score added, “told Sale used a knife to do whatever cutting he did of uniforms.”

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com previously reported the incident occurred with the team’s “front office/staff” and not any of Sale’s teammates.

On Sunday, Sale was suspended five days after the incident, per the White Sox:

This isn’t the first time Sale has had an issue with the front office. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported in March that the pitcher “accused executive vice president Ken Williams of lying to players” after Adam LaRoche retired before the season. LaRoche left the White Sox “after Williams informed him that he must limit” his son’s access to the clubhouse, per Nightengale.

ESPN Stats & Info said Matt Albers would start in the southpaw’s place. Albers has not started a game since 2008, when he pitched for the Baltimore Orioles, but he does sport 42 appearances out of the bullpen this season with a 5.03 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 34 innings.

Given the fact the Aug. 1 trade deadline is quickly approaching, it was natural to speculate whether Sale was pulled because he was involved in a deal before the White Sox released their announcement.

Jon Heyman of MLB Network cited a source who said “Sale was not scratched due to a trade,” although Jon Morosi of MLB Network did point out “Sale being scratched does not mean White Sox have agreed to a trade, but it indicates talks have progressed with at least [one] team.”

Sale is one of the marquee players potentially on the trading block this year as a five-time All-Star who finished top-six in American League Cy Young award voting in each of the last four years.

Chris Cotillo of SB Nation cited a rival executive who called the asking price from the White Sox “prohibitive,” and Heyman noted the team was looking for “five top prospects” in exchange for Sale. TR Sullivan of MLB.com recently reported the Texas Rangers were putting forth a “serious effort” to land the dominant pitcher.

It is not just the fact Sale is such a talented hurler that is driving that possible market. He is also only 27 years old, in the middle of his prime and under team control through the 2019 campaign, per Spotrac. That would give whichever team landed him in a hypothetical trade a shutdown ace atop the rotation for years to come.

Sale boasts 19 starts on the season with a 3.18 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 129 strikeouts in 133 innings. He led the American League with 274 strikeouts last year.

The White Sox entered Saturday’s game against Detroit with a 46-50 record, which was good enough for fourth place in the American League Central. They were 10.5 games behind the division-leading Cleveland Indians and don’t appear to be legitimate contenders this season, which could motivate them to deal the superstar pitcher.

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For weeks, we’ve all been asking whether the New York Yankees would sell.

Turns out the Sale we should have been focused on is Chris, as in Chris Sale of the Chicago White Sox, as in the pitcher who could energize this July trade market.

If a team gets (or misses out on) Aroldis Chapman, it could be season-changing.

If a team gets Sale, it could change this season, next season and maybe every season left in this decade.

Too dramatic? Not really, given Sale’s age (27), stats (71-43 in his career, with a 2.95 ERA and sabermetric numbers to match) and contract (under control through 2019 with a salary that rises from $9.15 million to just $15 million). He’s also reliable (on track to top 200 innings for the third time in four years), he’s made five straight All-Star teams (he started the game this year), and he has received Cy Young votes every year since he became a starter in 2012.

He’s so good and so valuable you can ask why the White Sox would ever want to trade him. The answer is they don’t really want to, which is another reason this is so fascinating.

To get him, it’s going to take a massive trade, with huge names going back the other way. After Jon Heyman reported on Today’s Knuckleball that the White Sox are taking phone calls and at least listening on Sale and fellow top starter Jose Quintana, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com tweeted this:

That’s Joey Gallo, the power-hitting third baseman ranked by MLB.com as the seventh-best prospect in all of baseball, and Jurickson Profar, who was once the top prospect in the game and now plays all over the infield for the Rangers.

You can bet the asking price will be similar for any other interested team. Perhaps that means Yoan Moncada from the Boston Red Sox or Julio Urias from the Los Angeles Dodgers or Alex Bregman from the Houston Astros.

The Astros haven’t yet been mentioned as a Sale suitor, but given their depth of talent and their need for a top starter, it’s hard to believe they wouldn’t be interested.

Any of those teams could put together a tempting offer, now that the White Sox have said they’re prepared to make moves. As general manager Rick Hahn told reporters, including Brian Hedger of MLB.com, the White Sox are “mired in mediocrity,” even with Sale and Quintana atop the rotation.

One baseball official with White Sox connections expressed doubt Friday evening that owner Jerry Reinsdorf would ultimately approve of trading Sale. But if the return is good enough, especially if it includes players who are big league-ready, it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t be tempted.

The White Sox have other players they could deal, and adding closer David Robertson could make it easier for a team to justify losing top prospects. Almost every team looking for a starter could use a back-end reliever, as well.

Here’s a look at what seem to be the three best fits:

Boston Red Sox

Heyman reported Friday they’ve already checked in with the White Sox, which is hardly a surprise. General manager Dave Dombrowski is well-known for his talent-for-talent philosophy, meaning he won’t hesitate to trade top prospects if the return is good enough.

The Red Sox have scored the most runs in the majors, and they’re extremely deep in young talent. But even after trades this month for starter Drew Pomeranz and reliever Brad Ziegler, they still could use another top-line starter.

With their young lineup, and with Sale and David Price atop the rotation, they might be in position to dominate the American League East—or the entire American League—for years.

Texas Rangers

Like Dombrowski, Rangers general manager Jon Daniels has shown willingness to pull the trigger on big deals. The Rangers added Cliff Lee in 2010 and Cole Hamels last year, and Daniels told reporters, including Sullivan of MLB.com, he’s focused on pitching again.

Yu Darvish has come back from Tommy John surgery and then from a month on the disabled list with shoulder trouble, but he showed again Friday night that his command isn’t back yet.

The Rangers lost 3-1 to the Kansas City Royals—their 15th loss in the last 19 games. Once 10 games up in the American League West, they now lead the Astros by just 2.5 games.

Put Sale with Hamels atop the rotation, and they could be the team that dominates. Put Sale with Hamels and Darvish atop next year’s rotation, and they might be the World Series favorite.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Are they really ready to make the type of big trade they stayed away from last July? We’ll see, but Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com tweeted earlier in the week that they’re “Big Game Hunting” this month.

Jayson Stark of ESPN.com connected them to Chris Archer—a natural fit given Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s history with the Tampa Bay Rays. But as good as Archer could be, he hasn’t accomplished nearly what Sale has (and is actually older than Sale).

The Dodgers had big uncertainty in their rotation even before Clayton Kershaw went on the disabled list with back trouble. Sale would give them a true ace while Kershaw is out, and a great one-two with Kershaw going forward.

There are other teams looking for starting pitching, including the Astros, Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers. The Astros probably have enough available talent to make a play, while the other three may not.

Just remember, we’ve already seen how quickly things can change in July. The Yankees have won five of their last six games, throwing more doubt on whether they’ll trade Chapman, Andrew Miller or others.

Who knows? If they win a few more games, maybe instead of selling, they’ll be the team trying to trade for Chris Sale.

Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Danny on Twitter and talk baseball.

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As the Chicago White Sox continue their free fall in the American League Central, Chris Sale’s future is going to be a hot topic of conversation before the August 1 trade deadline. 

Continue for updates. 

Rangers Pursuing Sale

Friday, July 22

TR Sullivan of MLB.com reported the Texas Rangers are making a “serious effort” to pry Sale away from the White Sox, noting Chicago wants top Rangers prospect Joey Gallo and former top prospect Jurickson Profar in return.

Report: White Sox Rejected Big Offer

Thursday, July 21

Per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, an unnamed team offered the White Sox a “king’s ransom” for Sale within the last 48 hours and was given a “no” by Chicago. 

White Sox Face Tough Decision With Sale’s Elite Talent, Team-Friendly Contract

There are two trains of thought for the White Sox when determining how to handle Sale. 

On the one hand, Sale is one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball and has finished in the top six of American League Cy Young voting each of the last four years. He’s signed through 2017 with two team options for 2018 and 2019 totaling $26 million, per Baseball-Reference.com.

That contract allows the White Sox to ask any team interested in Sale for anything and everything they want. It’s hard enough to find an ace like Sale, let alone have him signed to such a team-friendly deal, that trading him would be difficult to justify. 

On the other hand, the White Sox are a team that has a lot of holes to fill on their MLB roster. Adam Eaton and Melky Cabrera are their only regulars with an on-base percentage higher than .324.

Todd Frazier hits a lot of home runs, but you can’t really work with a .217 average and .304 on-base percentage. Jose Abreu’s performance has dropped each of the last two years since he was named American League Rookie of the Year in 2014. Brett Lawrie has proven throughout his career that he’s not a starting second baseman. 

They inexplicably traded for James Shields, who has pitched better in July but still has a 4.99 ERA in 20 starts this season. 

The White Sox do have another No. 1 starter in Jose Quintana, who also has a favorable contract that is guaranteed through 2018 with team options for 2019 and 2020. 

At some point, a team has to accept that spending $100-plus million every year to win 75-80 games isn’t a smart strategy. The White Sox don’t seem to be there yet, but they need to get there soon or things will spiral out of control in a hurry for this franchise. 

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The reigning MLB champion Kansas City Royals will hope a visit Thursday to the White House with President Barack Obama to celebrate their 2015 World Series triumph can provide the spark they’ve been looking for heading into the final months of the regular season.

Kansas City, which sits six games out of the final AL wild-card spot with a 47-47 record, stopped by 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on an off day. The journey to Washington, D.C., represented a rare enjoyable road trip for the team, owner of a 17-32 record away from home this season.

Eric Hosmer, fresh off winning the 2016 MLB All-Star Game MVP Award, passed along a snapshot from the bus ride over, which made the group look more like security detail than baseball players:

Before meeting up with the president, the Royals crashed the daily briefing held by White House press secretary Josh Earnest. His socks answered any questions about his baseball allegiance:

The team showcased manager Ned Yost along with Salvador Perez and Hosmer delivering some special gifts to one of their high-profile supporters:

Obama started his speech by rattling off the numerous players who made a large impact during last season’s title run. As he shouted them out, however, he joked it didn’t seem like people spent too long coming up with their various monikers, per 610 Sports Radio-KC:

Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star noted the president particularly enjoyed a quote from Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson:

Obama also took some time to discuss the importance of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and commented on the continued positive impact the Royals are making to help grow the sport, via Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star:

The ceremony concluded as the organization gave the president another championship jersey for a collection that’s grown increasingly large over the past eight years:

Mark Knoller of CBS News showed the different reactions from Obama, a noted fan of the division rival Chicago White Sox, and Earnest from earlier in the day:

One player who missed the proceedings was Jonny Gomes. The veteran outfielder played 12 games for Kansas City last season but was left off the postseason roster. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports noted the Royals didn’t include the free agent in the travel group, which disappointed him.

“I’ve been sent down. I’ve been non-tendered, whatever,” Gomes said. “But this is probably the worst news of my professional baseball career.”

Although Gomes played only a minor role for the organization last season, he stole the show during the World Series parade. He also stood out during a previous visit to the White House with the Boston Red Sox following their title in 2013 thanks to a patriotic American flag suit.

He would have provided some extra flair to the visit. That said, it was still a memorable trip for the Royals. Just like everything else associated with the title, it’s a little sweeter since they fell just short in the 2014 World Series before fighting back to win it all one year later.

Now the focus turns back to baseball. Kansas City needs to get hot in the coming weeks if it wants an opportunity to defend the championship in the postseason. The team returns to action Friday for a three-game series with the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.

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A frustrating season for Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes has gotten worse after he suffered a shoulder injury during Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Twins.

Continue for updates. 

Gomes to DL

Monday, July 18

Per the Indians’ official Twitter account, Gomes will be out for approximately four to eight weeks with a separated AC joint, but surgery is not deemed necessary at this point.

Gomes was injured in the fifth inning of Cleveland’s 6-1 win against the Twins. He was running to first base when a throw by third baseman Eduardo Nunez pulled first baseman Kennys Vargas off the bag, throwing Gomes off a direct path and leaving him extending his leg far out to catch first base. 

Initially, it appeared that Gomes had also injured his knee on the play. He took a tumble to the ground, landed directly on his right shoulder and was taken off the field on a cart with his arm wrapped in a sling. 

The Indians are fortunate in that they had Roberto Perez, who is the primary backup catcher, in the minors on a rehab assignment ready to come off the disabled list. He suffered a broken right thumb on April 30 against the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Gomes’ injury is the cherry on top of a season in which nothing has gone right for the 28-year-old. He’s hitting just .165/.198/.313 in 71 games. He snapped a 0-for-27 skid earlier in Sunday’s game with a double before getting hurt in his second plate appearance. 

The Indians have fared fine even with Gomes’ struggles, building a 6.5-game lead in the American League Central. The time away could help him clear his mind of things so that he can potentially return in time to help the team make its first playoff appearance since 2013. 

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Detroit Tigers rookie pitcher Michael Fulmer saw his historic run come to an end in Sunday’s 4-2 win over the Kansas City Royals, just barely missing out on a 10th consecutive start allowing either one or zero earned runs, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Only seven pitchers have pieced together streaks longer than Fulmer’s nine-gamer, and there have only been 11 instances since 1913 (including Fulmer) of a pitcher going nine or more consecutive starts with one or fewer earned runs allowed, per baseball-reference.com’s play index.

The rookie barely missed out on becoming the eighth pitcher with a 10-start streak, as he held the Royals to two runs (both earned) over eight innings in Sunday’s affair, eventually forced to settle for a tough-luck no-decision that still left his record at a sterling 9-2.

A supplemental first-round pick (44th overall) of the New York Mets in the 2011 June Amateur Draft, Fulmer joined the Detroit organization as the centerpiece of last summer’s blockbuster deal that sent star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the Mets.

Although Cespedes struggled during last season’s playoffs, the trade appears to be working out just fine for both sides, as the 30-year-old Cuban outfielder has produced 38 home runs, a .294 batting average, .356 on-base percentage and .589 slugging percentage in 138 regular-season games for the Mets.

Despite being the young centerpiece in a trade for a highly-regarded veteran, the 23-year-old Fulmer has already given Detroit every reason to be pleased with the deal, sporting a 2.13 ERA and 1.07 WHIP through 14 career starts (all this season), with 78 strikeouts and just 28 walks and six homers allowed through 84.2 innings (6.05 innings per start).

After allowing 14 earned runs in just 19.1 innings through his first four MLB outings, the right-hander has been dominant in his subsequent 10 starts, posting a ridiculous 0.83 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 7-1 record over 65.1 innings (6.53 per outing), albeit with a somewhat modest (but still strong) 55-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio in that span.

While Fulmer’s rate numbers might seem to hint at Cy Young candidacy, it will be all but impossible to overcome the reality that he spent his first three weeks of the season in the minor leagues.

His 2.13 ERA would lead all American League starters if he had enough innings to qualify, but his 84.2-inning workload still pales in comparison to those handled by the likes of Chicago White Sox lefty Chris Sale (125 innings, 3.38 ERA, 123 Ks), Boston Red Sox knuckle-baller Steven Wright (120 innings, 2.78 ERA) and Cleveland Indians fire-baller Danny Salazar (104.2 innings, 2.75 ERA, 118 Ks).

Fulmer might still have time to make up ground in a crowded AL Cy Young field that lacks an obvious favorite, if not for the general expectation that he’ll have his work scaled back even if Detroit (48-44) remains in contention, having never pitched more than 124.2 innings in a professional season (2015).

Including his 15.1-inning stint for Triple-A Toledo back in April, the 23-year-old power pitcher is already up to exactly 100 innings this year.

While the Cy Young Award may thus be pipe dream—at least for this season—Fulmer is undeniably building a nice case for AL Rookie of the Year honors, with his 1.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) putting him even with Indians outfielder Tyler Naquin (who only has 187 plate appearances) for the lead among AL rookies, per FanGraphs‘ measure of the statistic.

Other AL ROY candidates include Rangers outfielder Nomar Mazara (1.1 WAR), Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim (1.1) and Mariners first baseman Dae-Ho Lee (0.7). Fulmer may only need 150 or so innings to lock down the award.

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With the Minnesota Twins‘ struggles to the tune of an American League-worst record of 33-58, general manager Terry Ryan was relieved of his duties Monday.

According to a press release issued by the organization, assistant general manager Rob Antony will replace Ryan on an interim basis. Twins owner and CEO Jim Pohlad had the following to say regarding Ryan’s service:

Since joining our organization as a player in 1972, Terry has been a dedicated, loyal and respected member of the Minnesota Twins family. Terry has been a gifted leader of the baseball department for over eighteen seasons. It is impossible to overstate his contribution to our game, our team and the Upper Midwest baseball community. The decision to part ways with Terry was difficult, painful and not obvious.

Ryan also commented on his departure:

While disappointed we were unable to bring Minnesota a third world championship, I leave the GM post with immense pride in being part of the Twins organization for the better part of three decades. I’m grateful for the leadership opportunities provided by the Pohlad family; the collaboration and talents of my colleagues in the front office; the hard work and dedication of our manager, coaches and clubhouse personnel; the commitment and professionalism of our players; the passion and attention to detail of our minor league staff and scouts; and most importantly, the incredible support of our fans.

The 62-year-old Ryan has been part of the Twins front office since 1986, serving as general manager from 1994 through 2007 and again from 2011 until his dismissal Monday.

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the Twins “are expected to consider candidates [to replace Ryan] in the coming weeks.”

As Bleacher Report’s Scott Miller pointed out, the Twins have had little turnover at the GM post over the past three decades:

Ryan’s tenure as general manager experienced plenty of ups and downs. The Twins reached the playoffs in four of five seasons from 2002 through 2006, including a trip to the American League Championship Series in 2002.

Since Ryan reclaimed the GM title in 2011, however, Minnesota has just one winning season and no postseason appearances.

Progress was expected of the Twins in 2016 after they went a surprising 83-79 in 2015, but the drop-off has been significant. However, manager Paul Molitor told reporters Monday he was informed he would remain in the dugout for the rest of the season, saying, “I’m grateful because I want to keep doing it.”

Struggles in the starting rotation, the failure of highly touted outfielder Byron Buxton to find his footing at the major league level and injuries to several key players have factored into Minnesota’s fall to the basement.

The Twins have plenty of assets despite their poor season, and with the trade deadline just a couple of weeks away, Antony has a chance to make his mark on the franchise instantly and prove that Minnesota is working toward a new era.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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The Chicago White Sox placed starting pitcher Carlos Rodon on the 15-day disabled list Saturday morning because of a wrist injury.  

Continue for updates.

Rodon Expecting to Make Quick Recovery

Saturday, July 9

The team officially announced the roster move on Twitter and noted fellow pitcher Tommy Kahnle will fill the void on the 25-man roster. The Associated Press (via USA Today) reported Rodon was diagnosed with a sprained left wrist.

Jeff Arnold of the Chicago Sun-Times passed along further information about the ailment from Rodon. He stated the injury occurred Friday when he braced himself after he slipped on the dugout steps.

JJ Stankevitz of CSN Chicago reported the starter only expects to miss one turn in the rotation thanks to the timing of next week’s All-Star break. He initially didn’t think anything of the injury until returning to the clubhouse after the fall.

“I came back in and sat down and I was like, ‘uhh, all right, this kind of hurts a little bit,'” Rodon said.

The accident brings an end to a mostly disappointing first half for the 23-year-old lefty. He went 2-7 with a 4.50 ERA and 1.53 WHIP across 16 starts. He told Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago on Thursday he was hoping to turn things around after the break, but that goal will now be briefly delayed:

It hasn’t been what I wanted, that’s for sure. Frustrating, especially when you have a good team like this. You want to be able to win for them. You want to be a part of their winning. You got guys like (Chris) Sale and (Jose) Quintana shoving it … and pitching well. It’s tough to sit there and watch your start when you’re not doing what you’re doing.

His peripheral numbers suggest there’s reason for optimism once he gets healthy. The .349 batting average on balls in play points toward some bad luck, a thought backed up by his 4.12 xFIP and 4.11 SIERA, per FanGraphs.

Rodon has also struck out 91 batters in 92 innings, the type of rate a team likes to see from a pitcher who should eventually become a key cog in the rotation. The biggest factor in reaching that status is improving his command to cut down on his walk total.

The fact that he’s hoping to miss just a single start is good news for a White Sox club that’s looking to contend for a playoff berth. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the team ends up giving him a little extra time to fully recover, though, since it’s an injury to his pitching wrist.

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