Somehow, some way, Ryan Ludwick cleared waivers and was optioned to AAA, the Indians announced today. Mark Shapiro should consider himself very lucky, because nobody expected Ludwick to make it through waivers. It’s too bad the team already activated Coco Crisp, though, considering Crisp was brought back a couple weeks earlier than the team really wanted to. You just hope he doesn’t reinjure the thumb.

Following another hard-fought series with the Minnesota Twins, the Indians now need to turn their attention to the Chicago White Sox. Sunday’s 4-3 loss really stung, giving the Twins a 2-1 series victory, but with three games this weekend against the division-leading White Sox, the Indians can still tighten up the Central standings. And hopefully the Yankees, fresh off getting swept by Buddy Bell’s Royals — who still own the worst record in baseball — will extract some revenge from the Twins in Minnesota this weekend.

ESPN Insider is reporting that the Cavs are trying to get back in this year’s first round of the draft:

“The Cavs should have the 13th pick in the draft this year. However, they foolishly dropped their lottery protection on the pick they owed Charlotte so that they could send their 2007 first-rounder to Boston for Jiri Welsch. That worked out.

Now owner Dan Gilbert is trying to get back in the draft. They team has no draft picks to dangle, but the Cavs are offering teams their choice of Sasha Pavlovic or Welsch in return for a mid first-round pick. Given the number of teams in that area – Clippers, Celtics, Grizzlies – that are willing to deal out of the first round, it appears they might get their wish.”

Say what you want about Gilbert, but it’s hard to criticize his decision to let Paxson go. The Jiri Welsh move was a joke. Hopefully they’ll be able to salvage something out of it, though I’d much ather see Welsch traded instead of Pavlovic.