Injuries Already Testing the Twins' Depth

[Cody Christie]

Injuries were one of the biggest storylines for the 2022 Twins, and some of the same issues have started to impact the 2023 roster. Is it time to start worrying about the Twins' depth?

Image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

One of the Twins' biggest focuses this winter was adding veteran depth to the big-league roster and helping the team manage injuries associated with a 162-game season. Every team deals with injuries, which is why getting the best performance from players on the roster is essential. The Twins hired new head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta away from the Athletics organization to deal with the team's injury woes. 

The Twins players missed the second most games due to injury last season, and a similar pattern is emerging for 2023. Here's a look at the team's injury situation so far this season, along with the roster replacements for each projected starter. 

Joey Gallo: Right Intercostal Strain
Roster Replacement: Edouard Julien
Gallo was off to a good start in his Twins tenure before an intercostal strain slowed him down. In seven games, he went 5-for-18 (.278 BA) with three home runs and one double. He told reporters he was in a good spot, but the decision to go on the IL was up to the medical staff. The Twins decided to take a cautious approach, and it helps to have one of the team's top prospects as a roster replacement. Julien has been impressive throughout his professional career, and this is his chance to show he belongs at the big-league level. 

Max Kepler: Right Knee Tendinitis
Roster Replacement: Matt Wallner
The Twins had been using Kepler in the lead-off spot against right-handed pitchers to start the season. He went 2-for-16 (.125 BA) in four games with a home run and a walk. During the Marlins series, he injured his knee while hustling down the first base line. There was some thought that he might be able to avoid the IL, but he tested the knee and felt some pain when he tried to decelerate. Wallner is the organization's reigning minor league player of the year and can fill a similar role on the roster to Kepler. In five Triple-A games, Wallner had gone 6-for-20 with two doubles, one triple, and one home run. 

Alex Kirilloff: Left Wrist Surgery
Roster Replacement: Trevor Larnach
The Twins took it slow with Kirilloff this spring after he dealt with wrist issues during the last two seasons. He began his rehab assignment in Fort Myers, which should put him on track to rejoin the Twins in the coming weeks. Larnach deserved to make the big-league roster after posting a 1.130 OPS during spring training. Over the last two seasons, he has shown the ability to be a middle-of-the-order bat when he is healthy. Currently, he's healthy and has been a vital part of the Twins line-up at the season's start. 

Jorge Polanco: Left Knee Injury
Roster Replacement: Willi Castro
Polanco ended the 2022 season on the IL, and his left knee had improved enough for him to be on the Opening Day roster. Like Kirilloff, Polanco has started playing in rehab games, including defensively at second base. Castro was a non-roster invitee this spring but made the Twins' Opening Day roster because of his defensive flexibility. He has played in a handful of games for the Twins, but the club has limited how regularly he has been a starter. When Polanco returns, Castro will likely be sent to Triple-A unless another injury impacts the roster. 

Kyle Farmer: Jaw Laceration
Roster Replacement: Kyle Garlick
Farmer was hit in the face by a Lucas Giolito offering during the finale of the White Sox series. He walked off the field under his own power, but there was some damage to his face. Luckily, he avoided a fractured jaw, but he had lacerations around his mouth and had to have some dental work. Gilberto Celestino will be transferred to the 60-day IL to make room for Garlick on the 40-man roster. Over the last two seasons, he has hit .233/.283/.446 (.728) with 11 doubles and 14 home runs. The Twins will use him primarily versus left-handed pitching.  

Expected Injuries: Royce Lewis, Chris Paddack
The Twins expected Lewis and Paddack to start the year on the injured list, but it still impacts the team's roster construction. Lewis is recovering from his second ACL surgery in the last two years. He is progressing well in his rehab and expects to be ready to return around midseason. Paddack is recovering from his second Tommy John surgery and hopes to rejoin the Twins by August or September. Minnesota signed him to a three-year, $12.5 million extension this winter that will delay his free agency by one season. 

Are you concerned by the number of injuries so far with the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

 

 

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[farmerguychris]

Should we be concerned - sure.  But - so far we've been able to take advantage of the depth the FO created during the off season and its working out.  No team has unlimited depth, so hopefully we'll start getting guys back sooner rather than later.  Most concerning for me are the ability for either Polanco or AK to play a significant role this year.

[Doctor Gast]

I think that the injury to Farmer has most impacted this team's depth. He's our main  back up at SS, 3B & 2B. With Polanco still gone, that makes us very vunerable defensively at those positions especially 2B.

[stringer bell]

7 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

I think that the injury to Farmer has most impacted this team's depth. He's our main  back up at SS, 3B & 2B. With Polanco still gone, that makes us very vunerable defensively at those positions especially 2B.

It's probably too soon to speculate about how long Farmer will be out, but for the time being, his injury makes Willi Castro much more valuable as the best defensive replacement at second, short and third.

[stringer bell]

The Twins have so far weathered the injury storm. No one has come back yet after going on the IL and several have been added. My thought is not that this is it for injuries this year, but that maybe this will be as bad as it gets (seven position players on IL), at least on the position player side of things. Averaging 2-4 out is probably the norm, but averaging 5-7 is a lot. 

[Chris Spencer]

I have thought for a few years now that Rocco is too cautious with dinged up players.  Rest them a little bit when they are dinged up, but don't send everybody to the IL over minor injuries. 

[chpettit19]

15 minutes ago, Chris Spencer said:

I have thought for a few years now that Rocco is too cautious with dinged up players.  Rest them a little bit when they are dinged up, but don't send everybody to the IL over minor injuries. 

Not Rocco's call. FO makes that decision based on recommendations from the training staff and Drs.

[bloomwcjkl]

The bigger question is how do you bring a Kepler back when the youthful replacements are doing much better?

It will be interesting to see how Kepler and Gallo are brought back.

[Fatbat]

So far “ the next man up “ has worked out well but thats only because of the depth that we have.  At this attrition rate, all the kids from cedar rapids will be called up in august. 
 

[chpettit19]

3 minutes ago, bloomwcjkl said:

The bigger question is how do you bring a Kepler back when the youthful replacements are doing much better?

It will be interesting to see how Kepler and Gallo are brought back.

I don't think the youthful replacements are doing much better. Wallner hasn't been useful at all so he'll go down for Kepler tomorrow. And Gordon hasn't hit a lick so Kepler will replace him in the order to see if he comes back swinging it. Garlick is likely the one sent packing for Gallo and that's when you may have a choice between Gallo, Larnach, and Solano, but I'd guess it'd be Gallo and Solano platooning at 1B. Polanco coming back is going to be the bigger decision making point (assuming no other injuries pop in between).

[roger]

Going into spring training many of us thought we knew who the 13 position players coming north would be.  Of that group, five are on the IL (Polo, AK, Gallo, Keps, Farmer) and two, Buxton and Correa, have either missed multiple games or are not playing in the field.  Thats 7 of 13, which to my California math is over half.  And it won't be April 15th until tomorrow.  And add to that another, Maeda, who is missing his third start tonight!

Crazy that this team is in first place with a 9-4 record.  But man, we need some of these guys back.

 

[RpR]

21 minutes ago, bloomwcjkl said:

The bigger question is how do you bring a Kepler back when the youthful replacements are doing much better?

It will be interesting to see how Kepler and Gallo are brought back.

Who is doing better?

[Rod Carews Birthday]

So far, they have weathered the injuries well, (Larnach, Farmer, etc. have really stepped up) but the holes in the lineup continue to get deeper.  These next couple of weeks, when hopefully we get a few guys coming back and hopefully picking up where the replacements have left off, will be a big indicator for how this team will be able to handle adversity.  Along the way, we're finding out a bit more about Solano, Farmer, Julien, etc. and you've got to like what we see so far. 

The pitching staff has responded magnificently and if we can keep them healthy, it takes a lot of heat off of the hitters -- I can't believe I'm typing that about the Twins!  Let's leave the injuries on the lineup side.  They are somewhat less dangerous to replace.

[DocBauer]

What's been nice is the "bench" players have been performing well, including the now injured Farmer. And Jeffers, now a reserve, has been playing well also.

I've been disappointed in Gordon. He's been a slow starter before, and I have hope things will begin to click soon. He could be very important if the bat starts heating up.

Also disappointed in Wallner, even in SSS. I haven't given up on him as a prospect by any means, I was just hoping he'd take advantage of this opportunity to do something. 

It's nice to have someone like Garlick as a 6th OF option instead of being a potential opening day addition. But I did wonder if Lamarre would have been the choice based on defense, CF ability, while still being a RH bat. No complaint on Garlick, just thought it might have been Lamarre.

Really wish Helman had been health this spring because I thought he had a chance to be a non 40 man option that might force his way on the roster at some point. Maybe later in the year?

Call me crazy, but I kinda like Castro as a "prospect project". I don't know that I expect much, but Detroit hasn't exactly been a hotbed for player development the past few years. And he's talented enough and young enough to still have potential as a nice utility player. I think he'd be better served at AAA for a while, but I like having him as a useful last man on the bench right now.

There is a good chance that over the next month or two, a roster crunch might happen. But I love that possibility. 

Echo the fact that it's great the injuries haven't hit the staff. I think the Maeda move, with Varland coming up for a game, was calculated based on opportunity. And it seems pretty smart. Use Sands, send him down, bring up a top prospect for a game, extend Maeda a bit by missing a turn, then swap put Varland for another arm. Just not sure who that will be. But a nice way to play with the staff.

But I really don't want to test the depth any more than we already have. Can't wait to see guys come back soon, and can't wait for June until we have even more options ready or near ready.

[PopRiveter]

“Expected Injuries: Royce Lewis, Chris Paddack”
 

I think I would have written Expected Injuries: Byron Buxton

…because we all expect that right?

[roger]

1 hour ago, DocBauer said:

What's been nice is the "bench" players have been performing well, including the now injured Farmer. And Jeffers, now a reserve, has been playing well also.

I've been disappointed in Gordon. He's been a slow starter before, and I have hope things will begin to click soon. He could be very important if the bat starts heating up.

Also disappointed in Wallner, even in SSS. I haven't given up on him as a prospect by any means, I was just hoping he'd take advantage of this opportunity to do something. 

It's nice to have someone like Garlick as a 6th OF option instead of being a potential opening day addition. But I did wonder if Lamarre would have been the choice based on defense, CF ability, while still being a RH bat. No complaint on Garlick, just thought it might have been Lamarre.

Really wish Helman had been health this spring because I thought he had a chance to be a non 40 man option that might force his way on the roster at some point. Maybe later in the year?

Call me crazy, but I kinda like Castro as a "prospect project". I don't know that I expect much, but Detroit hasn't exactly been a hotbed for player development the past few years. And he's talented enough and young enough to still have potential as a nice utility player. I think he'd be better served at AAA for a while, but I like having him as a useful last man on the bench right now.

There is a good chance that over the next month or two, a roster crunch might happen. But I love that possibility. 

Echo the fact that it's great the injuries haven't hit the staff. I think the Maeda move, with Varland coming up for a game, was calculated based on opportunity. And it seems pretty smart. Use Sands, send him down, bring up a top prospect for a game, extend Maeda a bit by missing a turn, then swap put Varland for another arm. Just not sure who that will be. But a nice way to play with the staff.

But I really don't want to test the depth any more than we already have. Can't wait to see guys come back soon, and can't wait for June until we have even more options ready or near ready.

Doc,  I have been thinking that Varland may not go down for a few weeks.  With the way the starters have been going 6-7 innings, they can get by with a 7  man pen.  Have Maeda make his next scheduled start in 5 days, then have Varland pitch the next day in place of Mahle.  Then have Varland pitch for Maeda 5 days later and returned to St Paul the following day.  That would see Mahle missing one start and Maeda two.

[darwin22]

7 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I don't think the youthful replacements are doing much better. Wallner hasn't been useful at all so he'll go down for Kepler tomorrow. And Gordon hasn't hit a lick so Kepler will replace him in the order to see if he comes back swinging it. Garlick is likely the one sent packing for Gallo and that's when you may have a choice between Gallo, Larnach, and Solano, but I'd guess it'd be Gallo and Solano platooning at 1B. Polanco coming back is going to be the bigger decision making point (assuming no other injuries pop in between).

Agree with your assessment of replacements--namely Kepler replacing Wallner and Gallo replacing Garlick.  

My follow up question is who to demote when Polanco is ready to be activated?  IMO, the easy answer is Castro or Julien.  Saying that, how much longer does Nick Gordon have to get going?  Does he have an option remaining?  If so, I think the front office has to give serious consideration to sending Gordon down to find his stroke/ getting his confidence going.  Gordon is now 4-40 on the season. 4 for 40.

I know Castro doesn't offer much more.....hitting .118 (2-17) and is the likely player to gets demoted to SP when Polo is deemed healthy. 

Saying that, IF Gordon has a option remaining, he's in desperate need of a "system reset" at St. Paul.  Gordon needs a 10-14 day stint in AAA getting consistent (and productive) ABs.  Although Castro offers little more than Gordon offensively, he can revert (soon) to being a bench player.  Assuming Gordon can get his batting stroke worked out at SP, he can easily brought back with Castro taking his place at SP.

[Jocko87]

We spend tons of time talking about who the 26 will be but the reality is that the 40 man is a continual rotation of injured going back and forth.  Depth lets us ride the wave.  The next wave coming back is Kepler and Gallo most likely followed by Kiriloff and Polanco.  We are going to have to send players down that we don't like to send, saving further injury.  Somewhere, later in the season, Gordon is going to feel the crunch.  We will lose a player we really like somewhere this year.  Love to have these problems, even when they are uncomfortable.

Its also why I'm not really in favor of going after an ace in the open market.  It's easier to do when we have this kind of depth but generally its just too much invested into one roster spot.   I'm a huge fan of what they have done with this roster and somewhat glad we are exercising it all now.  Obviously, if it keeps on this path we will eventually run out of options.  As the designated optimist, I'm looking toward July with everyone healthy and productive.  We can dream, right? 

[chpettit19]

10 hours ago, darwin22 said:

Agree with your assessment of replacements--namely Kepler replacing Wallner and Gallo replacing Garlick.  

My follow up question is who to demote when Polanco is ready to be activated?  IMO, the easy answer is Castro or Julien.  Saying that, how much longer does Nick Gordon have to get going?  Does he have an option remaining?  If so, I think the front office has to give serious consideration to sending Gordon down to find his stroke/ getting his confidence going.  Gordon is now 4-40 on the season. 4 for 40.

I know Castro doesn't offer much more.....hitting .118 (2-17) and is the likely player to gets demoted to SP when Polo is deemed healthy. 

Saying that, IF Gordon has a option remaining, he's in desperate need of a "system reset" at St. Paul.  Gordon needs a 10-14 day stint in AAA getting consistent (and productive) ABs.  Although Castro offers little more than Gordon offensively, he can revert (soon) to being a bench player.  Assuming Gordon can get his batting stroke worked out at SP, he can easily brought back with Castro taking his place at SP.

Gordon is out of options and it's going to cost him his spot on the 40-man if he doesn't figure it out in the first half of the season. My guess would be Julien goes down when Polanco is back (assuming no other starter gets hurt in the mean time). They'll want Julien getting everyday ABs, not sitting on the bench in Minneapolis. And Castro will go if the team is fully healthy when Kirilloff is back. Gordon will move to a bench utility role at that point, but he's going to have to start looking even remotely decent in the box.

To me it's not even his numbers (which are terrible), but watching him hit just doesn't look anything like last year, or anything like a major league hitter. He swings far too much and teams have figured that out and he simply doesn't get pitches to hit, and is surprised when he does so he misses them. This FO has never seemed to love Gordon so I don't think they'll hesitate too long to DFA him if there's a point where the entire team (including Lewis) is healthy. He'll get time to figure it out in a bench role, though, as they have enough other guys with options they'll bounce back and forth.

[DocBauer]

20 hours ago, roger said:

Doc,  I have been thinking that Varland may not go down for a few weeks.  With the way the starters have been going 6-7 innings, they can get by with a 7  man pen.  Have Maeda make his next scheduled start in 5 days, then have Varland pitch the next day in place of Mahle.  Then have Varland pitch for Maeda 5 days later and returned to St Paul the following day.  That would see Mahle missing one start and Maeda two.

I started thinking about this today while listening to the recent Gleeman and The Geek. It depends on how Maeda feels. There are no indications anything is wrong with Maeda other than being 35yo and having not pitched for a year and a half. It appears this was nothing other than rest and a missed turn to "stretch him out" for the season. I've thought, and stated previously, that I felt Maeda...and perhaps Ober at some point...would miss a couple turns here and there, or take a short IL stint with a "tired arm" to just monitor innings for the season. 

The Twins seem to really like having the 8 man pen. And by the time I finish this and anyone reads it, Varland might already be swapped out for a bullpen arm. BUT, I agree where there is a logical scenario where Varland is kept, Mahle could now miss a turn, and Varland gets at least one more start. That doesn't necessarily limit the pen, because in this scenario, Mahle would still be available to pitch a game out of the pen instead of a side bullpen session. That's always been the way the Twins could have a pseudo 6 man rotation. 

What does slightly confound the situation is there isn't an easy choice to bring someone up to replace Sands immediately, who has to stay down for X number of days. Winder and Henriquez aren't ready. Megill is usually a 1 IP arm, nowhere near a long man. Do they make room for someone like Rodriguez? Do they want to promote Headrick this soon? So it MIGHT make more sense to keep Varland up for another week before simply bringing Sands back up again.

[DocBauer]

8 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Gordon is out of options and it's going to cost him his spot on the 40-man if he doesn't figure it out in the first half of the season. My guess would be Julien goes down when Polanco is back (assuming no other starter gets hurt in the mean time). They'll want Julien getting everyday ABs, not sitting on the bench in Minneapolis. And Castro will go if the team is fully healthy when Kirilloff is back. Gordon will move to a bench utility role at that point, but he's going to have to start looking even remotely decent in the box.

To me it's not even his numbers (which are terrible), but watching him hit just doesn't look anything like last year, or anything like a major league hitter. He swings far too much and teams have figured that out and he simply doesn't get pitches to hit, and is surprised when he does so he misses them. This FO has never seemed to love Gordon so I don't think they'll hesitate too long to DFA him if there's a point where the entire team (including Lewis) is healthy. He'll get time to figure it out in a bench role, though, as they have enough other guys with options they'll bounce back and forth.

Largely agree. But I disagree on Gordon and the FO. I DO BELIEVE they like Gordon and have had his back. While he, obviously, never turned out the way a 1st round #5 pick was hoped/expected to turn out, the FO could have moved on from him almost immediately if they chose to. A bit of a slow starter at each level, Gordon always seemed to "figure it out" with the bat. But not a true SS..despite being drafted as such...deeply in tune fans will always know Gordon as "the guy who would have been promoted in 2019 ahead of Arraez, having his best season, before an ankle injury shelved him". Such is history, and baseball. But through injury, covid, intestinal problems that wasted him away during 2020, they never dropped him. Instead, they stuck with him and never dropped him from the 40 man, took long looks in ST, and converted him to an OF and utility player.

While we seldom, if ever, disagree on most anything, I'm going to disagree on this one point. 

I AM concerned about his slow start. But it's happened before with him, and obviously, other players as well. It stinks he doesn't have options left. But we all know these things can be manipulated. Any day now, Gordon might just "get right" and start hitting the ball like last year and this is a moot point. But isn't it also possible he might suddenly have a sore arm or ankle and hit the IL and then have a rehab at AAA to get a "reset"? 

I'm not convinced that Gordon has a long term place on the roster due to Julien, Lewis, Lee, and maybe even Martin. Not to mention Celestino in the OF. But I'm also not willing to doubt his LH bat, versatility, and his 2022, especially the second half. But it IS up to Gordon.

I do agree that a return of a healthy Polanco, one of these days soon hopefully, might squeeze out Julien. But, of course, it depends how well Julien is performing, as well as any other injuries that pop up. It gets even more muddled whenever Kirilloff is ready to go. 

Doesn't it suck...EXTREME SATIRE...that by May, July at the latest, and even going in to 2024, that the Twins position player roster may be so deep we're trying to figure out how to play and keep Polanco, Julien, Kirilloff, Celestino, Martin, Lee, Wallner, Gordon, Farmer-still under team control, and even consider re-signing Taylor and Salono? And I've probably forgotten someone. Not to mention other milb players who might force some 40 man issues over 2023. 

[chpettit19]

36 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

Largely agree. But I disagree on Gordon and the FO. I DO BELIEVE they like Gordon and have had his back. While he, obviously, never turned out the way a 1st round #5 pick was hoped/expected to turn out, the FO could have moved on from him almost immediately if they chose to. A bit of a slow starter at each level, Gordon always seemed to "figure it out" with the bat. But not a true SS..despite being drafted as such...deeply in tune fans will always know Gordon as "the guy who would have been promoted in 2019 ahead of Arraez, having his best season, before an ankle injury shelved him". Such is history, and baseball. But through injury, covid, intestinal problems that wasted him away during 2020, they never dropped him. Instead, they stuck with him and never dropped him from the 40 man, took long looks in ST, and converted him to an OF and utility player.

While we seldom, if ever, disagree on most anything, I'm going to disagree on this one point. 

I AM concerned about his slow start. But it's happened before with him, and obviously, other players as well. It stinks he doesn't have options left. But we all know these things can be manipulated. Any day now, Gordon might just "get right" and start hitting the ball like last year and this is a moot point. But isn't it also possible he might suddenly have a sore arm or ankle and hit the IL and then have a rehab at AAA to get a "reset"? 

I'm not convinced that Gordon has a long term place on the roster due to Julien, Lewis, Lee, and maybe even Martin. Not to mention Celestino in the OF. But I'm also not willing to doubt his LH bat, versatility, and his 2022, especially the second half. But it IS up to Gordon.

I do agree that a return of a healthy Polanco, one of these days soon hopefully, might squeeze out Julien. But, of course, it depends how well Julien is performing, as well as any other injuries that pop up. It gets even more muddled whenever Kirilloff is ready to go. 

Doesn't it suck...EXTREME SATIRE...that by May, July at the latest, and even going in to 2024, that the Twins position player roster may be so deep we're trying to figure out how to play and keep Polanco, Julien, Kirilloff, Celestino, Martin, Lee, Wallner, Gordon, Farmer-still under team control, and even consider re-signing Taylor and Salono? And I've probably forgotten someone. Not to mention other milb players who might force some 40 man issues over 2023. 

Oh, I don't think they dislike him or anything. They just don't LOVE him. They didn't create a starting spot for him this year like they did for Miranda (for example), and basically all of his opportunities have come because others were hurt. He made the most of the opportunity last year, but hasn't so far this year. He makes some terrible swing decisions and it makes it hard to maintain solid production. I was just trying to say that Gordon doesn't appear to be one of "their guys," and I don't expect them to go out of their way to keep him around like they do with thereliever who shall not be named (who's actually off to a solid start). So when it comes time to make decisions about 26- and 40-man spots if/when the whole, or close to whole, roster is healthy I think a Gordon DFA is possible if he doesn't start showing something.

These are good problems to have, though. I'm much happier with them having to make tough decisions on guys like Gordon than the simple decisions on guys like Cave, Beckham, and Contreras (no offense to them).

[DocBauer]

30 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Oh, I don't think they dislike him or anything. They just don't LOVE him. They didn't create a starting spot for him this year like they did for Miranda (for example), and basically all of his opportunities have come because others were hurt. He made the most of the opportunity last year, but hasn't so far this year. He makes some terrible swing decisions and it makes it hard to maintain solid production. I was just trying to say that Gordon doesn't appear to be one of "their guys," and I don't expect them to go out of their way to keep him around like they do with thereliever who shall not be named (who's actually off to a solid start). So when it comes time to make decisions about 26- and 40-man spots if/when the whole, or close to whole, roster is healthy I think a Gordon DFA is possible if he doesn't start showing something.

These are good problems to have, though. I'm much happier with them having to make tough decisions on guys like Gordon than the simple decisions on guys like Cave, Beckham, and Contreras (no offense to them).

ABSOLUTELY!

It's up to Gordon to prove he belongs. 

The roster, and prospects, simply state that Gordon has to prove himself again. But to be real, it's very early and he has time to do so, I hope he does so because he could be important for this year, if not going forward.

I've thought for a while he's on borrowed time. And that's not an indictment of talent or potential.  But there's just too much talent on the rise with Lewis, Lee, Julien, Wallner and others to guarantee any sort of spot. So it's up to Gordon himself to continue to prove his future value.

Isn't it great to realize the player portion of the roster is looking at a wonderful "crunch" really soon?

 

[darwin22]

10 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Gordon is out of options and it's going to cost him his spot on the 40-man if he doesn't figure it out in the first half of the season. My guess would be Julien goes down when Polanco is back (assuming no other starter gets hurt in the mean time). They'll want Julien getting everyday ABs, not sitting on the bench in Minneapolis. And Castro will go if the team is fully healthy when Kirilloff is back. Gordon will move to a bench utility role at that point, but he's going to have to start looking even remotely decent in the box.

To me it's not even his numbers (which are terrible), but watching him hit just doesn't look anything like last year, or anything like a major league hitter. He swings far too much and teams have figured that out and he simply doesn't get pitches to hit, and is surprised when he does so he misses them. This FO has never seemed to love Gordon so I don't think they'll hesitate too long to DFA him if there's a point where the entire team (including Lewis) is healthy. He'll get time to figure it out in a bench role, though, as they have enough other guys with options they'll bounce back and forth.

Thanks for your information and insight.  Hopefully Gordon can get "it" figured out.  Its getting late early concerning his future in this organization.

[stringer bell]

Injury rehab notes: Kirilloff and Polanco both 0-2 playing for Ft. Myers. Kirilloff left the game after four PAs, Polanco appeared to play the entire game. Josh Winder was the losing pitcher allowing a run in 1.2 innings of work. Joey Gallo played DH for the Saints—0-4 with four Ks. 

[JD-TWINS]

On 4/14/2023 at 2:08 PM, Doctor Gast said:

I think that the injury to Farmer has most impacted this team's depth. He's our main  back up at SS, 3B & 2B. With Polanco still gone, that makes us very vunerable defensively at those positions especially 2B.

It’s just tough to see a teammate or anyone get a fastball in the mouth. The defensive flexibility is a bit of an issue but I think his general presence as a veteran and a guy that had some key hits is the biggest issue. We have 3 other guys on the current roster that can play 2B - Polanco should be up in a couple weeks. Hope Farmer heals quickly.

[JD-TWINS]

If Gordon hits .289 - 27 doubles - 8 HR after May 1st again this year as he did last year, all will be good. That happened in ‘22 & the FO won’t forget that nor will they forget about his durability. It can’t be that early for Gordon if they are starting Kepler as well, every day  he’s healthy enough to take the field. Max’s upside is diminishing every bit as quickly - he plays one position essentially…..Gordon still plays 4 different spots routinely.

[stringer bell]

I don’t know if this is the proper thread, but a comment on rehabbing players: I’ll be interested in when Polanco and/or Kirilloff play on consecutive days. Minor leagues are off on Mondays, so if Jorge and AK don’t play today, we’ll be waiting until next week for them to play consecutive days. 
 

Also, a move to Wichita or St. Paul would indicate the player is getting closer to a MLB return. 
 

Josh Winder has used about half of his allotted rehab time. I am wondering how close he is to returning. He’s pitched multiple innings out of the bullpen, seemingly setting him up to claim the long man spot that Sands and now Headrick have occupied. 

[Squirrel]

1 hour ago, stringer bell said:

I’ll be interested in when Polanco and/or Kirilloff play on consecutive days.

This is happening today. Both were in the lineup last night and are both scheduled to play today

[ashbury]

2 hours ago, Squirrel said:

This is happening today. Both were in the lineup last night and are both scheduled to play today

Each getting a hit.  Bring them up!