CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Indians are trying to bring Jim Thome home, but they might be unable to do it.

Thome, the Indians' all-time home run leader, was placed on waivers by the Twins on Monday and cleared Wednesday. The Indians put a claim on Thome on Wednesday, but it's believed the White Sox did as well.

The White Sox, who started Wednesday trailing the Indians in the AL Central standings by a half game, would earn the right to negotiate a trade for Thome with the Twins if no AL team with a poorer record claimed him. They would have 48 hours to do so.

The Twins could pull Thome off waivers or give Thome to the White Sox without compensation with the exception of a small waiver price. If the Twins pull Thome off waivers, they would be unable to put him on waivers for another 30 days.

The White Sox have Paul Konerko and Adam Dunn to DH and play first base. Konerko can't play much first base right now because of a leg injury. Dunn has struggled all season in Chicago.

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Thome might have trouble getting at-bats with the White Sox, but he would have no trouble in Cleveland. DH Travis Hafner is on the disabled list and facing the possibility of season-ending surgery on his right foot.

On Aug. 15, Thome became the eighth man in history to hit 600 homers. He homered twice against the Tigers at Comerica Park to reach the mark.

This year with the Twins, Thome, 40, is hitting .253 (50-for-198) with 12 homers and 40 RBI. He's hitting .290 (27-for-93) with six homers and 21 RBI since the All-Star break.

Thome played with the Indians from 1991 through 2002. He hit 334 homers.

He played from 2006 through 2009 with the White Sox.

Jason Kubel, another Twin, also cleared waivers Wednesday. He could help the Tribe's offense. Oakland's Hideki Matsui has already cleared waivers and could help as well.

The deadline for making a waiver deal, and having that player eligible for the postseason, is Aug. 31.

What a pain: The big question is not whether the Indians have taken their last breath as a contender in the AL Central, it's whether they will have enough bodies to field a starting nine Friday night when Kansas City visits for a three-game series.

Shin-Soo Choo was scratched from Wednesday's lineup because of soreness in his left side. He said he felt it when he grounded out with the bases loaded in the sixth inning Tuesday night in the second game of a day-night doubleheader against Seattle. He felt it again hitting in the cage before Wednesday's game.

He joins a list of injured Indians, including Hafner (right foot), Michael Brantley (right wrist), Jason Kipnis (right hamstring, right oblique) and Grady Sizemore (right knee and hernia surgery). Hafner, Sizemore and Kipnis are on the disabled list. Choo and Brantley are day to day.

The bad thing about it is they are all starters on an offense that at full strength wouldn't scare many pitchers.

Choo and Brantley will try to play Friday. Sizemore took batting practice on the field for 15 minutes before the Indians lost to Seattle, 9-2. He has been on the disabled list since July 18 and expects to play sometime in September.

Kipnis is out for at least two more weeks. Whether they return in time to help make another run in the AL Central or to just pick up the pieces can't be answered.

"We picked a bad time to have a bad week," said reliever Frank Herrmann, referring to the Indians losing six of their last seven games. "We're still playing hard and our goal is to win as many games as we can. Who knows what can happen?"

One starter who will be back in the lineup Friday will be shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. He missed only his second game of the season Wednesday when manager Manny Acta gave him a day off to combine with today's off day.

"Manny told me a couple of days ago I'd have the day off," said Cabrera, in a 6-for-36 slump. "Physically, I feel good. What's happened to me at the plate is just part of baseball."

Come one, come all: Acta and the Indians are holding "Manny Acta's fan appreciation and charity fundraiser," today from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Corner Alley on East Fourth Street.

There will be a VIP bowling event featuring Cabrera, Choo, Chris Perez, Justin Masterson, Sandy Alomar Jr., GM Chris Antonetti and Tom Hamilton. There will be live music and several establishments in the East Fourth Street neighborhood will participate.

Auction and raffle items worth more than $15,000 will be awarded at the event. Proceeds will go to Acta's ImpACTA Kids Foundation and Cleveland Indians Charities.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158

On Twitter: @hoynsie