The Cleveland Indians have made it known that infielder Mike Aviles is off-limits heading into the July 31 MLB trade deadline as his four-year-old daughter, Adriana, continues to receive medical treatments for leukemia at the Cleveland Clinic.
Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal first reported Thursday the Indians were getting trade offers for Aviles, but they had no desire to deal him. Zack Meisel of the Northeast Ohio Media Group confirmed the report Friday.
"We're trying to be pretty respectful to Mike and his family stuff," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. "We haven't spoken too much about it other than just to kind of maybe explain why he hasn't been here and stuff like that. ... I don't think because of the situation Mike's in because of his family situation that [general manager Chris Antonetti] would ever do that."
The Indians announced in May that Adriana Aviles was diagnosed with leukemia. In a show of support for Adriana, members of the team shaved their heads later that month, per the team's Twitter account:
Cleveland Indians @IndiansRe: new haircuts you've seen: Our guys have shaved their heads to support Mike Aviles and his daughter, Adriana.
Team owner Paul Dolan also shaved his head:
Cleveland Indians @Indians💈
Mike Aviles has appeared in 58 games this year. He has hit .246 with four home runs and nine runs batted in. Much like in the previous two years, his defensive versatility has proved to be vital for Francona when the manager wants to give one of his regular starters a rest.
Keeping Aviles on the roster not only helps the Indians on the field, but it also ensures that his daughter is only a short drive away from one of the finest medical facilities in the country.
