MLB News: Indians’ Ryan Raburn named AL Player of the Week

Cleveland Indians utility man Ryan Raburn has been named American League Player of the Week for the week encapsulating April 29-May 5.

Raburn batted .591 (13-for-22) with four home runs, nine RBI, one double and five runs scored over five games to notch his first career weekly honor. He is the first Indian to garner the A.L. Player of the Week Award since Asdrubal Cabrera on April 11, 2011. Among Major League hitters for the period, Raburn led in batting average, slugging percentage (1.182) and total bases (26), was tied for first in on-base percentage (.591) and base hits, was tied for second in homers and was fourth overall in RBI.

On Monday, the 32-year-old Raburn turned in a career-high-tying four hits, including a pair of homers and four RBI as Cleveland rolled to a 9-0 shutout victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, marking the start of the team’s recently concluded six-game win streak. Ryan, an eight-year veteran in his first season with Cleveland, became the first Tribe batter with consecutive multi-homer games since Travis Hafner on July 19-20, 2004.

Cast aside by the Detroit Tigers (and their fan base), Raburn has been scorching hot since center fielder Michael Bourn suffered a lacerated finger against the Chicago White Sox earlier in April. Raburn, 32, is hitting .344/.382/.594 (.976 OPS) on the season.

[Related: Tribe Weekend Recap: Streak ends, but series Tribe takes series]