Wednesday Bantering: “Chief Wahoo” logo may be abandoned in Toronto

The Cleveland Indians may be forced to abandon their “Chief Wahoo” logo next time they’re in Toronto, A.J. Perez of USA Today reports. The logo, which has been the subject of controversy around major league baseball for the past decade, would be replaced with Cleveland’s “C” logo if the case currently in question is approved.

“From our standpoint, our client is not asking for something that’s impractical,” Paul-Erik Veel, a lawyer involved with the proceeding, says. “They have uniforms that don’t use the particular logo and simply have the name “Cleveland” and a "C" on them already.”

“As an Indigenous person, I am encouraged that the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has accepted jurisdiction over my complaint and agrees that it can proceed to a hearing," Douglas Cardinal, a First Nations elder, said in an official press release. "Unfortunately, the consciousness of genocide and apartheid continues to be fostered by the insensitive use of demeaning and degrading symbols, mocking indigenous peoples. This must cease in order for reconciliation to have any meaning and substance.”

The initial claim was filed in October of 2016, when the Blue Jays were playing Cleveland in the American League Championship Series. The case was initially denied by the Ontario Superior Court, but Cardinal continued with two other actions - “one with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, and one with the federal court level with the Canadian Human Rights Commission,” as Lucas Casaletto of The Score writes.

Major League Baseball, the Cleveland Indians and Rogers Communication have fought against the case, stating that the claim is not under the correct jurisdiction and that Mr. Cardinal is filing his case under the wrong law.

The Red Sox and David Ortiz are discussing a possible role for the future Hall of Fame player with the organization, the slugger told Joe Trezza of MLB.com. "We've been talking, but right now nothing," Ortiz said. "We're going back and forth. At some point it's going to happen. That organization is what I am. We've been talking." Ortiz doesn’t know, or doesn’t want to let on, what role he would fill with the organization. “I’ll let you know later.”

The Blue Jays placed Devon Travis on the disabled list with a right knee bone bruise yesterday, the same injury that forced him to miss the start of the 2017 season and all of spring training. In a corresponding move, Dominic Leone has been recalled.

Travis will undergo further testing, including a meeting with the same doctor who performed surgery on his knee in November 2016. The bruise, which was on the outside of the right knee last year, is on the inside this year, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports. Travis wasn’t sure when he reinjured the knee, but says he felt fine boarding the plane to Oakland and that his knee locked up when getting off the plane.

While speaking to reporters before the game last night, Travis was understandably emotional about his injury. You can watch the video here. It’s pretty hard to watch, but valuable to have a reminder that players are, indeed, human.

Eduardo Rodriguez, who could be out for three to four weeks with a knee injury, doesn’t have a timetable for his return. After meeting with Dr. James Andrews, manager John Farrell told media that he has started his rehab process, but it’s anyone’s guess as to how long that process may take.

"After the exam yesterday with Dr. Andrews, he's in an active rest and rehab phase right now," Farrell told MassLive. "There's going to be no mound work currently. But I would suspect in the coming days he'd have a ball back in his hand and continue to throw on flat ground until he's ready to get back on the mound. I'm aware of some reports out there. But we've not been given any kind of time frame from Dr. Andrews."

The Blue Jays lost again yesterday, dropping the second of a three-game series against the Oakland Athletics by a final score of 4-1. Marco Estrada faced his old first-inning troubles, giving up one run in the first frame, but settled down later in the game. He faced trouble in the fifth and sixth, and left the game after allowing four earned runs. Toronto got only one run and squandered multiple opportunities to score. Not pretty.

Finally - a game we can watch! With a start time of 3:35 ET, the Blue Jays will try to avoid the sweep with Francisco Liriano on the mound. Jharel Cotton, who allowed five runs (only one earned) in his last start, will start for Oakland. You can watch the game on Sportsnet and MLB Network, or listen to it on Sportsnet 590.

Masahiro Tanaka is struggling mightily with the Yankees. He allowed three home runs to the Red Sox last night, continuing his stretch of poor starts. After giving up 18 home runs in his first 30 2016 starts, Tanaka has given up 17 in 12 starts this season.

It has nothing to do with the Blue Jays, but Scooter Gennett had a history-making night yesterday. He became the 17th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game, collecting 10 RBIs in Cincinnati's 13-1 blowout of the Cardinals. Gennett had a total of 17 bases, making his performance on the best games in major league baseball history.

Per Jeff Passan, only five other players in history have had a game with at least 17 total bases, and none of those players had a double-digit RBI total.

Follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkColley.