Rumor: Polanco Not Ready for Season Start?

[Althebum82]

Uh oh:  Jorge Polanco May Begin Season On Twins' Injured List - MLB Trade Rumors

Could this pave a pathway for Julien to open the season in one of the Twins new uniforms?

As noted in the article, other options are available.

[Squirrel]

No, probably not. If he were a choice to go north, he wouldn’t have been optioned already. It means that either Larnach or Wallner make the team if Polanco is truly not ready. 

[stringer bell]

What if Kirilloff and  Polanco are placed on the IL for the first week or so? I think Willi Castro could be considered. He is a versatile switch hitter who has performed very well so far in the spring. The problem is that he isn't on the 40-man roster, so that would mean that there wouldn't be flexibility in filling out the bullpen. Castro does have an option remaining, so if he's brought on the 40-man, he can still go freely to St. Paul.

[FlyingFinn]

A great Polanco really makes the Twins team so much better. He had ankle surgery after the 2019 season, Again, he had ankle surgery after the 2020 season. He had a back injury last year. Then, he had the knee injury in August last year (looked like an old man walking) and, after 7 months, he still can't play. For a guy that fights through most injuries, this is a very bad sign. I've said multiple times that the Twins have enough depth at this position that they should have traded him because Polanco has had too many injuries and most people say "he's only been on the injured list only once and to trade him would be crazy." If 7 months couldn't heal the knee, will another month suddenly get him to 100% health?

If Gordon is at 2B and Gallo ends up at 1B to start the season with Solano also playing both positions, I can see why the Twins front office didn't think we had a glut of LH hitting corner OF's.

[Squirrel]

8 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

What if Kirilloff and  Polanco are placed on the IL for the first week or so? I think Willi Castro could be considered. He is a versatile switch hitter who has performed very well so far in the spring. The problem is that he isn't on the 40-man roster, so that would mean that there wouldn't be flexibility in filling out the bullpen. Castro does have an option remaining, so if he's brought on the 40-man, he can still go freely to St. Paul.

I think it will depend on Miranda and Gordon. Last I heard both were cleared for all activity. Not sure where Miranda is in his throwing, but Gordon was in a game recently, I think. But if both are fine and head north, I don’t think there is a need to add Castro. We could gain some BP flexibility if the team would release Pagan, but they seem committed to at least start the year with him, unfortunately.

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, Althebum82 said:

Uh oh:  Jorge Polanco May Begin Season On Twins' Injured List - MLB Trade Rumors

Could this pave a pathway for Julien to open the season in one of the Twins new uniforms?

As noted in the article, other options are available.

The Twins won't admit it, but they probably would like to get seven years of team control for Julien. Having him spend 10 days in St. Paul would do the trick. Purely from a baseball standpoint, I think the Twins would also prefer to see how he does at St. Paul before declaring him the next big thing. 

[stringer bell]

I'm old enough to remember Cincinnati's GM in the 60s saying that Frank Robinson was an "old 30" after he traded FRobby to the Orioles and Robinson was the MVP and Triple Crown winner. Having said that, I'll say that I am fearful that Polanco is old for his age as well. He's played as much baseball for the Twins as anyone on the roster, but he has slowed down markedly IMHO and it seems the injuries have become more and more of a threat to his productivity. 

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, Squirrel said:

No, probably not. If he were a choice to go north, he wouldn’t have been optioned already. It means that either Larnach or Wallner make the team if Polanco is truly not ready. 

I didn't notice it until just now, but Wallner was optioned yesterday. I think the competition between Larnach and Wallner has been decided for now. 

[FlyingFinn]

1 hour ago, Squirrel said:

Gordon was in a game recently, I think.

Yes, and he played 2B!

[Doctor Gast]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

What if Kirilloff and  Polanco are placed on the IL for the first week or so? I think Willi Castro could be considered. He is a versatile switch hitter who has performed very well so far in the spring. The problem is that he isn't on the 40-man roster, so that would mean that there wouldn't be flexibility in filling out the bullpen. Castro does have an option remaining, so if he's brought on the 40-man, he can still go freely to St. Paul.

If Kiriloff and or Polanco goes on the IL wouldn't that open a slot for Castro? Or is the minimum days higher? IMO Castro is more deserving than Solano. If Castro has an option left then great.

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

If Kiriloff and or Polanco goes on the IL wouldn't that open a slot for Castro? Or is the minimum days higher? IMO Castro is more deserving than Solano. If Castro has an option left then great.

Based on Spring Training, absolutely Castro has outplayed Solano. However, Solano signed a major league contract and Castro is on a minor league deal. Castro would have to be added to the 40-man, filling the spot that otherwise could go to the best fit among the NRIs competing for a bullpen spot.

Edit to add:  If the Twins would pull the plug on Solano, it would look bad and might effect their ability to sign veteran role players in the future. Solano has carved out four very good years since he returned to the majors in 2019. There is a possibility that he is done at age 35, but the more likely scenario is that he will continue to be a pretty good right handed bench bat with positional flexibility. 

[Nine of twelve]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

If Kiriloff and or Polanco goes on the IL wouldn't that open a slot for Castro? Or is the minimum days higher? IMO Castro is more deserving than Solano. If Castro has an option left then great.

Placing a player on the 60-day IL frees up a 40-man roster spot. Using the 10-day does not.

I don't know the rule regarding retroactive placement on the 60-day during spring training. I believe Paddack and Lewis were put on the 60-man in the 3rd week of February. If Polanco can be placed on the 60-day retroactive to then he'd be eligible to be activated on about April 20-25. So if that can be done and he won't be able to play before then it might make sense to put him on the 60-day to free up a spot.

And by the way, the Twins are currently at 39 players on the 40-man so there's room for one more if need be.

[chpettit19]

Alright, now I've got some concern on Polanco. I was going to give it until Wednesday to see if he got into a game by then, but those Falvey quotes are a little concerning. Not panic mode yet, but a little concern there.

Kirilloff getting in some AAA game action yesterday, including playing 1B, gives me a little more hope for him. Basically switched my concern levels between Polanco and Kirilloff. If this means Kirilloff is good to go for opening day then it's still just Larnach making the squad opening day. Based on their recent demotions I'd say it looks like that's plan A as of now.

Buxton, Correa, Miranda, Kepler, Gallo, Farmer, Solano, Vazquez, Jeffers, Taylor, Gordon seem to have spots locked up, and are on pace for opening day with very little question (yes, I know you haven't seen Buxton on TV yet). Larnach looks healthy, and looked great at the plate yesterday. Expect he's in line to take either Kirilloff or Polanco's spot if 1 of them can't go. If both can't go I do think Castro is an interesting choice, and he'd probably be my choice as of today. As much as I'd like to see Julien given a chance to continue this hot streak in the majors, he wouldn't be getting everyday at bats and I think it's best he's in St Paul playing everyday so he's ready when a bigger opportunity for ABs in Minneapolis opens. Plus they save that extra year of control that annoys us all, but makes great sense in team building assuming Julien doesn't win, or nearly win, rookie of the year.

[chpettit19]

5 minutes ago, Nine of twelve said:

Placing a player on the 60-day IL frees up a 40-man roster spot. Using the 10-day does not.

I don't know the rule regarding retroactive placement on the 60-day during spring training. I believe Paddack and Lewis were put on the 60-man in the 3rd week of February. If Polanco can be placed on the 60-day retroactive to then he'd be eligible to be activated on about April 20-25. So if that can be done and he won't be able to play before then it might make sense to put him on the 60-day to free up a spot.

And by the way, the Twins are currently at 39 players on the 40-man so there's room for one more if need be.

If I remember correctly the 60-day count doesn't start until opening day no matter when they go on the 60-day. You can put them on it in Spring to open up the 40-man spot, but I believe the official count of 60-days doesn't start until opening day. Could be wrong, but I believe that's how it works.

[Nine of twelve]

2 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

If I remember correctly the 60-day count doesn't start until opening day no matter when they go on the 60-day. You can put them on it in Spring to open up the 40-man spot, but I believe the official count of 60-days doesn't start until opening day. Could be wrong, but I believe that's how it works.

That sounds logical to me, and if that's how it works then I'm sure that would not be an option for Polanco. At least I hope that's the case and that his health isn't so bad that they want to hold him out until the end of May.

[chpettit19]

Just now, Nine of twelve said:

That sounds logical to me, and if that's the case then I'm sure that would not be an option for Polanco. At least I hope that's the case and that his health isn't so bad that they want to hold him out until the end of May.

Yeah, a 60-day stint for Polanco would be brutal. Really hoping that's not even in the realm of possibilities at this point. 10 day stint to give him an extra week to ramp up is 1 thing. 2 months is another. 10 days to see what Solano looks like in regular season action, and for Larnach to show he deserves a spot wouldn't be the end of the world at all.

[chpettit19]

I forgot about Celestino having surgery. I wonder what the chances are of him getting a 60-day stint are. He'd be allowed to be back in St Paul playing before that (you're allowed a rehab stint before the 60 day mark), and it'd free up a 40-man spot for Castro and a reliever. I'm not sure on the rules as far as Celestino being able to be optioned first and how that works for the rehab stint, but even if he accrues 2 months of service time before he's able to be optioned I don't think it's a huge deal. He hasn't been optioned yet despite them knowing he's going to be so I wonder if that's one of the options they're looking at.

[Rosterman]

Castro is showing some stolen base initiative. Plus has a decent bat this spring. Give the guy a chance, especially if he still has options.

Celestino could go on the 60-day easily. One open spot, too, from Santana. 

 

But the 40-man is pretty tight right now. Not much room for up-and-downs, especially if names like Polanco, Kirilloff, Winder start the season on the IL-list. Wallner is the only extra bat. And you have to be prepared for the need of an emergency catcher if something happens to our ONLY two.

[stringer bell]

8 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I forgot about Celestino having surgery. I wonder what the chances are of him getting a 60-day stint are. He'd be allowed to be back in St Paul playing before that (you're allowed a rehab stint before the 60 day mark), and it'd free up a 40-man spot for Castro and a reliever. I'm not sure on the rules as far as Celestino being able to be optioned first and how that works for the rehab stint, but even if he accrues 2 months of service time before he's able to be optioned I don't think it's a huge deal. He hasn't been optioned yet despite them knowing he's going to be so I wonder if that's one of the options they're looking at.

Rules and regulations about the Injured List are pretty murky. I am certain that when placing a player on the 60-day IL, the clock starts on Opening Day. I'm also pretty sure that a player injured when on the 40-man roster can't be optioned and then placed on the 60-day IL. It is also apparent that the 10 and 15 day ILs aren't operative until the season starts. No player on any team has been placed on the IL (other than the 60-day) since Spring Training started. 

I don't know if someone can be placed retroactively on the IL from the last time he played in an official Spring Training game, but retroactive placements are only like three days anyway. 

[stringer bell]

8 minutes ago, Rosterman said:

Castro is showing some stolen base initiative. Plus has a decent bat this spring. Give the guy a chance, especially if he still has options.

Celestino could go on the 60-day easily. One open spot, too, from Santana. 

 

But the 40-man is pretty tight right now. Not much room for up-and-downs, especially if names like Polanco, Kirilloff, Winder start the season on the IL-list. Wallner is the only extra bat. And you have to be prepared for the need of an emergency catcher if something happens to our ONLY two.

I'm wondering if Winder or Henriquez eventually end up on the 60-day list. I haven't heard anything about Henriquez, but Winder has thrown in batting practice if I'm not mistaken. I speculated when Celestino's injury was announced that he might end up on the 60-day. Again, he would get major league pay and service time for the 60 days if that happens. 

Castro is more than a year younger than Nick Gordon, but he does have three full years of service time. Also, of note, regarding positions, Nick Gordon has started three straight games at second base since returning from his injury.

[Mike Sixel]

Well, poop.

[JD-TWINS]

Seems like they have been anticipating this issue by playing Gordon at 2B a few times this spring.

Julien hasn’t played above AA……..Lee has 31 professional games played & none above AA…….Lewis is 15 weeks away. These guys aren’t coming north with Big Club.

If Kiriloff is OK - Larnach would get Polanco’s roster spot Opening Day. Farmer - Solano - Gordon can cover 2B until Jorge is ready to go!

[Jocko87]

They left the Dennis Santana spot on the 40 man open so that shouldn't be an issue.  I can't find it but there was a quote about leaving it open to maintain flexibility.  This had to be on their mind at the time.

I'd rather not fill the spot with a Castro type as we could be in the situation to lose them 2 weeks later if Polo is ready.  Save them for a more long term injury from a roster management standpoint.  Use someone with options for this one.  It should free up the spot for Ober or Larnach as there are three 2nd base options on the roster already.  Farmer, Solano and Gordon can hold it down.

[Jocko87]

2 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Seems like they have been anticipating this issue by playing Gordon at 2B a few times this spring.

Julien hasn’t played above AA……..Lee has 31 professional games played & none above AA…….Lewis is 15 weeks away. These guys aren’t coming north with Big Club.

If Kiriloff is OK - Larnach would get Polanco’s roster spot Opening Day. Farmer - Solano - Gordon can cover 2B until Jorge is ready to go!

Jinx.  Well put.

Missed that Castro has an option left but I still prefer another outfielder or pitcher to go north,  He may get added to the 40 anyway. 

[chpettit19]

4 minutes ago, Jocko87 said:

Jinx.  Well put.

Missed that Castro has an option left but I still prefer another outfielder or pitcher to go north,  He may get added to the 40 anyway. 

For what it's worth, Castro has played 724 innings in the outfield in the majors. He's a true super utility player.

[stringer bell]

15 minutes ago, Jocko87 said:

Jinx.  Well put.

Missed that Castro has an option left but I still prefer another outfielder or pitcher to go north,  He may get added to the 40 anyway. 

Only 13 pitchers are permitted on the active roster. 

[Mike Sixel]

Another reason they preferred Farmer to Urshela, I'd guess.

Also, Julien should be playing second in St Paul...... Just in case. 

[Doctor Gast]

Very sad! Polanco has played hurt most of his career. Polanco's ankles couldn't take SS & it affected his play except for the beginning 1st half when he became an All-Star after that was down hill. I advocated that he needed to be removed from SS, '21 he was removed and bounced back & had a great season. '22 he hurt his back & was finally put on the 10 day IL for the 1st time & again he bounced back. Shortly after that he injured his knee. Up to this time it has been strain on his body, this time it was injury, which called out for rest & treatment. But rest never came and was played until he could no longer take the field & ended his season.

Being spoiled we expected Polanco to bounce back & have a great season. But all these years of abuse has caught up to Polanco. You can blame the trainer for this but to me it's common sense, an oz. of prevention is worth a lb. of cure. Many say the Twins had bad luck with injuries these past years but I say it's because of mismanagement. You can't push a player beyond their limits w/o any consequences.

But I'm happy that they are cautious  with Polanco. & hope his knee can bounce back 100% soon. & he'll have a MVP season. But he'll be sorely missed until he can play in a regular season game. IMO Gordon is more of an OF than INF & have been weird to see Gordon playing strictly INF. But if Polanco will miss any days, Gordon will provide a LH bat. Although I'm still not crazy will his glove.

[FlyingFinn]

I think the add, if Polanco and Kirilloff, both end up on the IL might be Garlick to add another RH bat in the OF. If Gallo is playing 1B and Buxton has to DH sometimes, that might be the Twins route because they are certainly willing to DFA him and see him clear waivers as he's done that once already.

[Squirrel]

4 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Yes, and he played 2B!

 

2 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Seems like they have been anticipating this issue by playing Gordon at 2B a few times this spring.

Julien hasn’t played above AA……..Lee has 31 professional games played & none above AA…….Lewis is 15 weeks away. These guys aren’t coming north with Big Club.

If Kiriloff is OK - Larnach would get Polanco’s roster spot Opening Day. Farmer - Solano - Gordon can cover 2B until Jorge is ready to go!

When I was down there Gordon was doing a lot of work at 2nd, before games even started, so I think they’ve been counting on using him in the infield more than the outfield.