CLEVELAND -- Jason Giambi pulled the red-and-blue block "C" cap off the hk in his locker, slipped it on and worked the bill, bending it to his exacting standards. Everything had to be just right. "Time to get that first one in," he said. After missing Clevelands first 18 games recovering from broken rib, Giambi was activated from the disabled Monday and was to make his season debut in the opener of a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals. Giambi was batting seventh. Indians manager Terry Francona was thrilled to have him anywhere in his lineup. "Im really glad," Francona said. "He means a lot to what we do. If he wants to hit a homer or two today, thats welcome. But having him back is real gd. Hes one of the more special people that weve all been around, so to have him back fighting with us is a gd thing." The 43-year-old Giambi is in his second season with the Indians, who werent sure what they were getting when they signed him to a minor league contract before the 2013 season. And although Giambi batted only .183 in 71 games, he provided invaluable leadership in Clevelands clubhouse and produced a few spine-tingling moments, none bigger than a game-ending pinch-homer on Sept. 24 that beat the Chicago White Sox. The win came during a 10-game winning streak that put the Indians in the playoffs for the first time since 2007. "That moment is what keeps me coming back," Giambi said. "You dont forget those. Those are special. What made it great was the time it happened and how hard we worked. And if that game gets away -- ... It was special. It gave everybody a taste of that finish, to go to the playoffs and be a part of it." With Giambi returning, Francona juggled his lineup, giving backup catcher and cleanup hitter Carlos Santana the night off. Lonnie Chisenhall started at third and batted fourth. Francona noticed Santana lunging at pitches Sunday and thought he could use a mental break. "I thought it would be gd for him because hes starting to chase some balls out of the zone," he said. "I thought he was getting a little anxious. Hes always had that volatile swing, and he stays in the zone so well, but yesterday I thought he started chasing. So I thought I would give him a night to kind of take it easy." Giambis return gave Francona another offensive weapon, a needed one for a team thats struggled offensively. "Its a big, powerful lefty bat who can change the score with one swing," Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis said. "He just adds a confidence to the rest of the lineup." Giambi has become something of a big-brother figure to many of the younger Indians. After he finished dressing for batting practice, Giambi walked past Kipnis locker and reminded him that time was running short. "You got three minutes, kid," Giambi yelled to Kipnis, who said his older teammates contributions go way beyond hitting home runs. "People just feed off his positive energy and the experience he has," Kipnis said. "He just makes you feel more comfortable. Youre more relaxed knowing hes on your side. You can go to him with anything." Washington Nationals Jerseys . The Canucks figured to be active prior to Wednesdays trade deadline, getting a jump on things the previous day when they dealt goaltender Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers for netminder Jacob Markstrom and forward Shawn Matthias. Anthony Rendon Jersey . Saskatchewans Darian Durant is expected to miss the rest of the Roughriders season with a torn tendon in his right elbow. The 32-year-old, who will undergo surgery in the next couple days to repair the injury, was added to the teams six-game injury list Tuesday. http://www.officialnationalsgearshop.com...ey-Kids-Jersey/. Shot outdrs against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. Max Scherzer Jersey . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Trea Turner Jersey . Burkes Flames are one of several teams involved in heavy trade speculation going into next Wednesdays 3pm et deadline, with the most prominent name in play being forward Michael Cammalleri.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Boston Bruins will begin another month without captain Zdeno Chara, as they kick off a four-game road trip in Mondays clash against the Anaheim Ducks. Chara has been sidelined since suffering a torn ligament in his left knee on Oct. 23 against the New York Islanders. The star defenseman has resumed skating, but wont join the team for the road trip, which also features stops in Los Angeles, San Jose and Arizona. So far, Boston has fared well during Charas absence, going 10-4-1 in 15 games without their leader. The Bruins are 4-1-1 over their past six games and halted a modest two-game slide by earning Fridays 2-1 win over Winnipeg. Dougie Hamilton scored 39 into overtime to help Boston down the visiting Jets and Tuukka Rask made 35 saves for the victory. Late in OT, the Bruins skated in on a 3-on-2 rush with Carl Soderberg leading the charge. He slid a pass to Hamilton trailing the play, and the former first round pick beat Michael Hutchinson high stick-side. I dont know if Ive ever scored an OT goal before, so a pretty gd feeling to get the win after the start that we had, Hamilton said. Hamilton also assisted on Milan Lucics fifth goal of the season early in the third period. Soderberg recorded an assist on both markers. In addition to dealing with Charas absence, the Bruins have played four straight and 10 of the past 12 games without top centerman David Krejci, who is sidelined with an undisclosed injury. Krejci also isnt making the trip out West for the Bruins, who are 5-4-0 as the road team this season. With Boston also playing tomorrow against the Kings, backup goaltender Niklas Svedberg could get his seventh startt of the season over the next two days.dddddddddddd Rask is 1-2-0 with a 3.59 goals against average against the Ducks in his career and 1-1-0 with a 2.20 GAA versus L.A. Svedberg has never faced either team. Anaheim is hoping to get back on track tonight after losing two straight on the heels of a three-game winning streak. The Ducks have yielded 10 goals over the two setbacks, dropping Fridays 4-1 home decision against Chicago before losing the following night in San Jose by a 6-4 score. The Sharks jumped all over the Ducks on Saturday, outshting Anaheim by a 14-5 margin in the opening period while taking a 3-1 lead. San Jose extended that cushion to 5-1 early in the second before the Ducks began to pick away at the lead. Unfortunately for Anaheim, the bad start dmed the club to a loss as the Ducks were only able to cut the deficit to 5-4 before Matt Nieto sealed San Joses win with an empty-net goal in the final minute of play. We tried to do things right, but we had some bad breaks, Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau said. Then we got mad and showed how we can play. Corey Perry posted two goals and an assist in the loss, while Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and two assists. Matt Beleskey also scored for the Ducks. Frederik Andersen allowed five goals on 19 shots before being pulled over six minutes into the second period. Jason LaBarbera turned aside all 15 shots the rest of the way. Andersen has never faced the Bruins, while LaBarbera suffered an overtime loss in his only career start against Boston. Anaheim owns a 4-1-1 record in the last six meetings with the Bruins. Boston has lost in three of its last four trips to Orange County. ' ' '