Cleveland Indians Roundup: Joba Chamberlain Might Return Soon; Tyler Naquin’s First Home Run

Joba Chamberlain looking to return to the Cleveland Indians soon

The Cleveland Indians received some good news yesterday when Joba Chamberlain took another step forward in his recovery, as chronicled by Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. The reliever pitched another simulated game on Saturday, and that might have been the final step before activation. Chamberlain has been on the disabled list since the 21^st of May, meaning that tomorrow is the earliest that he can be activated. 

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An early return certainly has its appeal to the Indians. Chamberlain, 30, has been one of the Indians’ best relievers this season. Over 14 innings of work, he has posted a 1.93 earned run average, although advanced estimators are not fans of his work. Even the projection systems ZiPS and Steamer believe that he will greatly regress through the rest of the season. Hopefully, this is not the case.

In other news, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com has written his latest edition of Hey, Hoynsie. This latest edition features many attendance-related topics, with one submission asserting that the ushers ejecting fans who attempt to sneak into the good seats is causing attendance problems. Hoynes, thankfully, dispels this notion in its absurdity.

Another notable portion of the piece discusses Carlos Santana and his perceived value, arguing that Santana should not be playing regularly. While Santana has not been as good a hitter these past two seasons as he was before, he is still an above-average player. Many fans have a hard time grasping that batting average does not define a player, but on-base percentage is a much more accurate reflection of a player’s skills. Perhaps those who feel that Carlos Santana is hurting the team should re-read – or read – my piece from last July defending his offensive skills.

Finally, Tyler Naquin hit his first major-league home run on Friday, and it was quite the experience for the youngster. His 401-foot blast helped to extend the Indians’ lead over the Kansas City Royals, and the Indians were quick to celebrate. As Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com noted, Naquin did not receive the silent treatment like many other players, but instead Jason Kipnis and Mike Napoli greeted him at the top of the dugout. Not to be outdone, Naquin followed that up with his second career home run last night in the Tribe’s 7-1 win, a two-run shot to right field.

More from around the American League Central:

Cleveland Indians Beat Royals Again, Move Into First Place – Wahoo’s on First

Cleveland Indians Roundup: Indians Top Kansas City Royals, Should They Have Reconsidered Before Signing Marlon Byrd? – Wahoo’s on First

Healthy Again, Joba Chamberlain Set to Come off Disabled List – Indians.com

Since When Do We Blame Ushers for Poor Cleveland Indians’ Attendance? Hey, Hoynsie – Cleveland.com

Cleveland Indians Outfielder Tyler Naquin Has ‘No Words’ to Describe the Feeling of His First Big League Home Run – Cleveland.com