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The Buffalo Sabres have rehired Lindy Ruff, the last head coach to lead the franchise to the NHL playoffs back in 2011.

Ruff, 64, was fired by the New Jersey Devils after 61 games this season. He replaces Don Granato, whom the Sabres fired after three seasons.

Ruff coached the Sabres for 15 seasons from 1997 to 2013. He ranks fifth all-time and second among active coaches with 864 career regular-season wins for the Sabres, Dallas Stars, and Devils. His 935 combined wins in the regular season and playoffs are tied for fourth in league history.

“As I went through the hiring process, it quickly became clear Lindy was the person for the job. He has experience, a proven track record, familiarity with young players, and so much more,” said Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams.

Adams worked as an assistant coach under Ruff in 2011-12 and during the 2012-13 season, when Ruff was replaced by Ron Rolston.

The Sabres have gone through six different coaches since Ruff was fired.

“I want to be clear though that this hire was not made with nostalgia in mind. Lindy is the right person for the job now, and any history with our organization and community is simply an added bonus. I believe wholeheartedly that Lindy can help our team reach their goals and am excited to get to work with him,” said Adams.

Ruff led the Sabres to the playoffs eight times during his tenure in Buffalo, including the Eastern Conference final in his first two seasons and the Stanley Cup Final in 1999.

He’s the winningest coach in Sabres history, having set franchise records in regular-season games coached (1,165), regular-season wins (571), playoff games coached (101), and playoff wins (57) during his first stint with the organization from 1997-98 to 2012-13.

Ruff won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year in 2005-06. He was a finalist for the award three other times.

The Sabres have gone 13 seasons without a playoff appearance since Ruff last took them there in 2010-11, which is the longest current drought in the NHL. That included a disappointing 2023-24 campaign in which Buffalo appeared poised to reach a new level of success with a roster of solid young players but finished with a lower points percentage (.512) than they did in the previous season (.555).

Ruff was credited with helping a young team in New Jersey take a leap to the postseason in 2022-23 with a 49-point improvement year over year. But the Devils regressed by 48 points this season, leading to his dismissal.

“This is a team ready to take the next step,” said Ruff on the Sabres. “I am both humbled and honored to be trusted to help this team win now. It is not a job that I take lightly. It is my goal to ensure that players believe in each other, play for each other and love being a Buffalo Sabre. There is no doubt that we all need to embrace the challenge ahead of us. The work starts today, and I could not be more excited.”

Ruff will be formally introduced in a news conference on Tuesday.

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Rays reinstate OF Lowe from the 10-day IL

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Rays reinstate OF Lowe from the 10-day IL

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays reinstated outfielder Josh Lowe from the 10-day injured list before Monday night’s game with the Chicago White Sox.

Lowe has been out since opening day due to a right oblique strain that occurred during spring training, and experienced right hamstring tightness in late April just before he was expected to rejoin the team.

Lowe hit .292 with 20 homers, 83 RBI and stole 32 bases last season.

Right-hander Edwin Uceta had his contract selected from Triple-A Durham, where he was 0-1 with a 7.00 ERA in 10 games. Uceta appeared in 25 games, going 0-3, in 2021-23 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets.

Tampa Bay used six relievers in Sunday’s 7-6, 10-inning win over the Mets after starter Ryan Pepiot was hit by a 107.5 mph liner on his left calf and exited the game.

X-rays taken Sunday on Pepiot were negative.

To make room on the 26-man roster, infielder Curtis Mead and reliever Jacob Lopez were optioned to Durham.

Infielder-outfielder Niko Goodrum was designated for release or assignment.

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Guardians’ hits leader Kwan on IL, Manzardo up

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Guardians' hits leader Kwan on IL, Manzardo up

CLEVELAND — The Guardians are losing their extraordinary leadoff hitter and adding one with power and potential.

Cleveland placed outfielder Steven Kwan, who leads the AL with a .353 average, on the 10-day injured list Monday with a strained hamstring he sustained while running down a fly ball over the weekend.

Kwan felt tightness in his hamstring and was pulled from Saturday’s win over the Angels as a precaution. An MRI revealed an acute strain and the Guardians said Kwan likely will be out for up to one month.

Kwan said he had hamstring issues while playing at Oregon State and in the minors.

His injury is a blow to the AL Central-leading Guardians, but it’s giving the team a chance to promote hard-hitting prospect Kyle Manzardo, who has been bashing minor league pitchers this season and will now join a Cleveland lineup that can use some middle muscle.

The Guardians have been one of the season’s early surprise teams — they’re 22-12 heading into their series opener against Detroit — with Kwan a big reason for the club’s fast start.

He seems to start or be in the middle of virtually every rally, and the 26-year-old continues to be one of the league’s best defensive outfielders. Last year, he won his second straight Gold Glove.

Manzardo’s reputation as a slugger preceded his arrival in Cleveland.

The 23-year-old was acquired at last year’s trade deadline from Tampa Bay for pitcher Aaron Civale. The Rays were reluctant to part with Manzardo but they needed pitching while the Guardians have been craving a big bat in the middle of their order.

Manzardo had a strong spring for the Guardians, who had him start the season at Triple-A Columbus to build confidence. He’s done just that, hitting .303 with nine homers, 10 doubles and 20 RBI in 29 games.

Cleveland fans have been clamoring for Manzardo, who will likely play some first base and be used as a DH by first-year manager Stephen Vogt.

Also, the Guardians activated left-hander Sam Hentges from the injured list. The reliever has been out since training camp with a middle finger issue.

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White Sox bring up RHP Clevinger from Triple-A

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White Sox bring up RHP Clevinger from Triple-A

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Right-hander Mike Clevinger was recalled by the Chicago White Sox from Triple-A Charlotte to start Monday night’s game at the Tampa Bay Rays.

Clevinger got a late start to the season after finalizing a $3 million, one-year contract on April 4.

The 33-year-old made two starts for Charlotte, allowing three runs and 10 hits, along with seven strikeouts over 7⅓ innings.

Clevinger can earn an additional $3 million in bonuses for starts and innings: $100,000 per start from 11-25 and $100,000 for 55 innings and each additional five through 125.

Clevinger went 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA and two complete games in 24 starts with the White Sox last season, then became a free agent.

He is 60-39 with a 3.45 ERA in 128 starts and 24 relief appearances in eight seasons with Cleveland (2016-20), San Diego (2020-22) and Chicago (2023). He missed the 2021 season after Tommy John surgery.

Chicago also placed right-hander Dominic Leone on the 15-day injured list with lower back tightness.

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