Thome returns to Indians

Cleveland, OH – The Cleveland Indians got back their all- time home run leader as Jim Thome is heading back to the city where he started his career.

The Indians acquired Thome Thursday night from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for a player to be named later. Thome had a no-trade clause in his contract with the Twins, but waived that in order to go to the Indians, who are 6 1/2 games behind Detroit for first place in the AL Central.

"Jim Thome is a Hall of Fame-caliber player and person," Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said. "He has meant so much to this organization - both on and off the field -- and it is an honor to bring him back in an Indians uniform where he created so many great memories. Having his bat and presence in the middle of the lineup certainly improves our team."

Thome, who turns 41 on Saturday, became the eighth player in history to reach 600 home runs when he clubbed two against the Tigers at Comerica Park on August 15. On the season, he is batting .248 with 12 homers and 40 RBI in 70 games.

A five-time All-Star, Thome broke into the majors in 1991 with Cleveland and played there until 2002. In his final year with the club, he hit a franchise- record 52 home runs and left the team with 334 home runs.

Thome then traveled to Philadelphia and played three years there prior to going to the White Sox until they traded him to the Dodgers during the 2009 campaign. He signed with the Twins prior to the 2010 season.

Over 2,462 games, he has belted 601 home runs and has driven in 1,664 runs while batting to a .277 average. His career on-base percentage is .403.