Roster Crunch? Who stays, who goes?

[stringer bell]

Roster scenarios with players due to come off IL:  Kepler could be activated today. The obvious move would be to return Wallner to St. Paul. LH corner OF for LH corner OF.  
 

Gallo could be off the IL by early next week. It get stickier here. Garlick could be DFAed or Castro could be optioned. Or (gulp) Julien could be optioned back to St. Paul. Garlick would be exposed on a DFA and could elect free agency if unclaimed. Castro is currently the de facto backup shortstop and third baseman, although Gordon and Solano could fill those roles. 
 

On the pitching side, a demotion is due with Varland up today. Sands pitched two innings yesterday, making him unlikely to pitch today and most likely resulting in an option to St. Paul. If Varland is sent back to St. Paul, who replaces him on the active roster is unknown. I wonder if Josh Winder may be ready to be activated. Of course, a minor injury might keep both Varland and  Sands on the active roster. 

[Riverbrian]

58 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

Roster scenarios with players due to come off IL:  Kepler could be activated today. The obvious move would be to return Wallner to St. Paul. LH corner OF for LH corner OF.  
 

Gallo could be off the IL by early next week. It get stickier here. Garlick could be DFAed or Castro could be optioned. Or (gulp) Julien could be optioned back to St. Paul. Garlick would be exposed on a DFA and could elect free agency if unclaimed. Castro is currently the de facto backup shortstop and third baseman, although Gordon and Solano could fill those roles. 
 

On the pitching side, a demotion is due with Varland up today. Sands pitched two innings yesterday, making him unlikely to pitch today and most likely resulting in an option to St. Paul. If Varland is sent back to St. Paul, who replaces him on the active roster is unknown. I wonder if Josh Winder may be ready to be activated. Of course, a minor injury might keep both Varland and  Sands on the active roster. 

If it was my call... it shouldn't be but if it was my call. 

If Kepler is activated today or soon. Wallner has been a healthy scratch two games in a row. It has to be him that goes to AAA if he is going to be scratched against back to back righthanded pitchers.   

If no injuries occur to change the context and Gallo is activated next week. I'd go with Garlick.

If Julien is the hitter everyone says he is...  and he sure looks like he is. His swing is very smooth, the bat speed is a blur and strike zone appears to be well managed. My opinion on Julien is worthless because I've only seen him play during the WBC and these two games but that swing sure looks real to me. If that hitting is real... he needs to stay up because we need that type of hitting.  

So... Yeah... Garlick because I would never worry about exposing a short side platoon player. I'll keep Castro for the time being for his flexibility. 

On the pitching side... Has to be Sands or Moran. Sands threw last night so he most likely won't be available tonight. Varland starts and is sent right back down afterwards regardless of results with a fresh arm replacing him for the weekend.

Megill is the only reliever on the 40 man. I don't think they want to put Ober into the Sands slot. So Megill would be my assumption because I don't believe the Twins want to expose anybody besides Garlick on the current 40. 

Unless of course... The easy move.

Today: Sands sent down, Varland called up and he makes his start tonight.

Tomorrow: Varland sent back down. Kepler activated (if healthy of course) Garlick is removed from the 26 and the 40. 26 man spot and 40 man spot goes to... umm Derick Rodriquez... seems like the most likely option at the moment and Derick slots into the Sands role. 

The easy move has merit... but... I'd still send down Wallner due to his place in the pecking order.   

 

[GKuehl]

• Kepler for Wallner Saturday or Sunday, whenever Kepler is healthy. Wallner needs to be getting consistent at-bats, which is unlikely to happen with Larnach, Kepler, and Gordon hoarding the corner OF starts. 
• Varland for Sands for today's start. 
• Winder, Headrick, or Megill for Varland tomorrow. I would love to see Winder healthy enough to fill a middle reliever role. It's become evident we don't need a long man in the bullpen, and Winder likely ends up as a reliever anyway due to durability concerns -- Winder could be the next Griffin Jax. 
• Gallo for Garlick whenever Gallo's healthy. I'm not too concerned about Garlick passing through waivers -- it would be nice if we could keep him around in St. Paul, but even if another team claims him, I'm guessing that he would be back on waivers within a few weeks. 

It'll be interesting to see what happens in a few weeks whenever/if Polanco and Kirilloff are ready to join the big league club (provided that the current roster stays healthy which ......... is unlikely, but we can dream). My guess would be that Polanco takes Castro's spot with Kirilloff taking Julien's spot. HOWEVER, what if Julien is tearing the cover off the ball as our leadoff man? This is where it could get really interesting, especially since Julien can DH once Buxton is healthy enough to play CF and also rotate through at 1B and 2B. Would Gordon be on the chopping block if he keeps failing to produce? Would Kirilloff just spend time in the AAA? Would Larnach be a candidate for AAA? I know this hypothetical won't come to fruition because someone will be dealing with an injury and need some IL time, but I would love to see what would happen if this team could stay healthy. 

[stringer bell]

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

 

Today: Sands sent down, Varland called up and he makes his start tonight.

Tomorrow: Varland sent back down. Kepler activated (if healthy of course) Garlick is removed from the 26 and the 40. 26 man spot and 40 man spot goes to... umm Derick Rodriquez... seems like the most likely option at the moment and Derick slots into the Sands role. 

The easy move has merit... but... I'd still send down Wallner due to his place in the pecking order.   

 

I kind of like the scenario here. Rodriguez has pitched multiple innings at St. Paul and has been effective. If Rocco wants to continue with a long man, he would be a good option. However, he went about four innings last night, so he probably won't be available as soon as Saturday. 

After a terrible first outing in AAA, Headrick has pitched well, plus he's a left hander. He's on the 40-man, so a spot wouldn't need to be cleared.

38 minutes ago, GKuehl said:

It'll be interesting to see what happens in a few weeks whenever/if Polanco and Kirilloff are ready to join the big league club (provided that the current roster stays healthy which ......... is unlikely, but we can dream). My guess would be that Polanco takes Castro's spot with Kirilloff taking Julien's spot. HOWEVER, what if Julien is tearing the cover off the ball as our leadoff man? This is where it could get really interesting, especially since Julien can DH once Buxton is healthy enough to play CF and also rotate through at 1B and 2B. Would Gordon be on the chopping block if he keeps failing to produce? Would Kirilloff just spend time in the AAA? Would Larnach be a candidate for AAA? I know this hypothetical won't come to fruition because someone will be dealing with an injury and need some IL time, but I would love to see what would happen if this team could stay healthy. 

Probably all moot points because somebody from the active roster will be on IL by the time all the players are ready to be reinstated. Fitting Julien on the active roster seems pretty easy with both Polanco and Farmer on IL, but when one of them return, it gets tight. A lot will depend on how Julien is hitting IMHO. Another factor would be that only a couple days of AAA assignment would net the Twins another year of service time for Julien. 

Kirilloff or Larnach? It appeared a week ago that Larnach was on the cusp of establishing himself as a middle-of-the-order hitter and there would be no way that he'd be optioned to St. Paul. He's in the midst of a snag right now (2-19) with a bunch of strikeouts and so far, he hasn't really hit for power. The next week or two might be crucial to him. Kirilloff certainly has to show he is both healthy and productive. To do that, he might have to stay in the minors beyond his rehab deadline. If there is no immediate spot for AK, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he is optioned to St. Paul. 

[chpettit19]

2 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Roster scenarios with players due to come off IL:  Kepler could be activated today. The obvious move would be to return Wallner to St. Paul. LH corner OF for LH corner OF.  
 

Gallo could be off the IL by early next week. It get stickier here. Garlick could be DFAed or Castro could be optioned. Or (gulp) Julien could be optioned back to St. Paul. Garlick would be exposed on a DFA and could elect free agency if unclaimed. Castro is currently the de facto backup shortstop and third baseman, although Gordon and Solano could fill those roles. 
 

On the pitching side, a demotion is due with Varland up today. Sands pitched two innings yesterday, making him unlikely to pitch today and most likely resulting in an option to St. Paul. If Varland is sent back to St. Paul, who replaces him on the active roster is unknown. I wonder if Josh Winder may be ready to be activated. Of course, a minor injury might keep both Varland and  Sands on the active roster. 

I believe Kepler can't be activated until tomorrow. And I assume we'll see Wallner back in St Paul (well technically Indianapolis, but in a St Paul uniform) when that happens tomorrow.

I'd guess Garlick gets DFA'd when Gallo comes back, but that mostly comes down to whether or not Gordon can look like he's even close to being a major league hitter in the next few days. I'd guess Julien maintains his spot as starting 2B until Polanco comes back. That could be a tough time for the Twins FO with one of those proverbial "good problems" to have if Julien keeps hitting until Polanco is back. But I don't think they'll want him sitting on the bench so I'd bet he'd go down until Buxton is back playing in the field in mid-May.

I think we're all under the assumption Sands is going down. I'd guess Varland is down tomorrow, and it's between Megill and Winder coming up. I don't know where Winder is at in his rehab so hard to judge which one that will be, but I can't imagine they want to carry Varland for more than today if they have no plans to IL Maeda.

Definitely nice to have some tougher decisions on who to send down/DFA. Not too often we get that around here. It's nice to have players actually have to earn their spots, and not just get to keep them because you and I are their best backup plans. Gordon better figure things out quick or he's not going to make it through the year in a Twins jersey.

[ashbury]

Handwriting is on the Wall-ner, heh.  Bad luck for him to not have gotten more than 11 PA, but he didn't provide instant offense, next please.  Hopefully he keeps up his hitting at AAA and is given a better opportunity next time.

Sands clearly seems destined to be sent down to make room for Varland. Apart from the 2 innings yesterday he's barely been used.  No confidence from the manager, next please.

If Megill ends up being Varland's replacement on the roster I hope he's used the same way Sands has been.  He's not simply "break glass in emergency;" if used, he becomes the emergency, next please.

[stringer bell]

Twins site has Varland on the active roster and Sands in the minors, so that part of the transaction tree is complete.

[wsnydes]

Do we know where Kepler is actually at healthwise?  I don't think I've seen anything regarding where he's at.  I think Wallner has to be sent down.  He's not looked good at the plate in my opinion.  Lynn toyed with him Tuesday night.  

I also think that Garlick getting DFA'd is the logical step when Gallo comes back.  Knowing oblique strains though, that may not be for a while and a lot of things can happen between now and then.

[stringer bell]

The Twins website says that Kepler’s return date could be tomorrow. The report goes on to say that he only experienced some pain upon decelerating. The site also says Gallo’s return could come on his first day eligible. He’s supposed to be in Indy for the weekend. Obviously, nothing is written in stone ( or even in ink).  

[RpR]

What can they do with Gordon?

[LA VIkes Fan]

4 hours ago, GKuehl said:

• Kepler for Wallner Saturday or Sunday, whenever Kepler is healthy. Wallner needs to be getting consistent at-bats, which is unlikely to happen with Larnach, Kepler, and Gordon hoarding the corner OF starts. 
• Varland for Sands for today's start. 
• Winder, Headrick, or Megill for Varland tomorrow. I would love to see Winder healthy enough to fill a middle reliever role. It's become evident we don't need a long man in the bullpen, and Winder likely ends up as a reliever anyway due to durability concerns -- Winder could be the next Griffin Jax. 
• Gallo for Garlick whenever Gallo's healthy. I'm not too concerned about Garlick passing through waivers -- it would be nice if we could keep him around in St. Paul, but even if another team claims him, I'm guessing that he would be back on waivers within a few weeks. 

It'll be interesting to see what happens in a few weeks whenever/if Polanco and Kirilloff are ready to join the big league club (provided that the current roster stays healthy which ......... is unlikely, but we can dream). My guess would be that Polanco takes Castro's spot with Kirilloff taking Julien's spot. HOWEVER, what if Julien is tearing the cover off the ball as our leadoff man? This is where it could get really interesting, especially since Julien can DH once Buxton is healthy enough to play CF and also rotate through at 1B and 2B. Would Gordon be on the chopping block if he keeps failing to produce? Would Kirilloff just spend time in the AAA? Would Larnach be a candidate for AAA? I know this hypothetical won't come to fruition because someone will be dealing with an injury and need some IL time, but I would love to see what would happen if this team could stay healthy. 

Completely agree. I think that once we get all the way to the last return (Kirilloff) the choice is Gordon or Julien. I have to think that Julien goes because he has options and Gordon is likely to be claimed if DFA'd. The other option would be to trade Kepler or Gordon if you could even get a decent AA type return with moderate upside. 

Most likely though all of this will not be an issue because someone will get hurt. Hey, it beats being in a position where we need to call up LaMarre or Contreras and play them every day. 

[IndianaTwin]

• Kepler for Wallner, so Wallner can play every day.
• Gallo for Garlick, DFA unless there's a sense that Farmer is out 60 days.
• Polanco for Castro.
• Kirilloff uses up to 21 days (that's the max, right) on rehab assignment, activated for whoever is hurt by then.
  • Or, is optioned if he isn't hitting during his rehab.
  • Or, for Larnach if Larnach isn't hitting.
  • Also on the table is optioning Julien to be able to "get reps at 1b," which is also code for "save a few days of service time to get the extra year."

[chpettit19]

31 minutes ago, RpR said:

What can they do with Gordon?

Move him to the bench. Then it's DFA time after that. He's out of options, and I'd guess he'd get claimed by some of the lesser talented teams if they DFA him to see if he can get going again with their squad. He'll be an interesting one to watch if he doesn't figure it out relatively quick.

[Mike Sixel]

People want to DFA Gordon? Tough crowd.

AK to right. Polanco to second. Julien to first. Gallo to center. That's your best hitting option..... Kepler to the bench. 

[Squirrel]

15 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

People want to DFA Gordon? Tough crowd.

AK to right. Polanco to second. Julien to first. Gallo to center. That's your best hitting option..... Kepler to the bench. 

I think the question is not the lineup but who gets sent down when these people return. So who gets sent down in place of Kep? Gallo? Polanco? AK? When they all are done with their IL/rehab stints?

[Bigfork Twins Guy]

I don't see them DFA'ing Gordon no matter how bad he is.  It is a similar situation to Pagan.  They do not want to lose these guys, but how far do you go before the pain is too much?

They need to give Gordon plenty of rope here given the SSS and the fact that he hit pretty good last year.  You gotta expect that he will come around at some point.

[RpR]

To be fair, how Gordon, Larnach, Julien look in two weeks will say more than this moment.

[FlyingFinn]

3 hours ago, stringer bell said:

The Twins website says that Kepler’s return date could be tomorrow.

If I remember correctly, the radio announcers said he looked healthy taking batting practice in New York.

I think Gordon will get plenty of time to improve and he is very valuable in being able to play a lot of positions. If he would just quit swinging at most every first pitch. The pitchers know this.

[East Coast Twin]

9 hours ago, stringer bell said:

Garlick would be exposed on a DFA and could elect free agency if unclaimed.

Is the remainder of his $750K contract void if he were to elect free agency in that case?

[Doctor Gast]

2 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

• Kepler for Wallner, so Wallner can play every day.
• Gallo for Garlick, DFA unless there's a sense that Farmer is out 60 days.
• Polanco for Castro.
• Kirilloff uses up to 21 days (that's the max, right) on rehab assignment, activated for whoever is hurt by then.
  • Or, is optioned if he isn't hitting during his rehab.
  • Or, for Larnach if Larnach isn't hitting.
  • Also on the table is optioning Julien to be able to "get reps at 1b," which is also code for "save a few days of service time to get the extra year."

Hopefully Farmer won't be gone more than the 10 days & if so not much more. Then Castro might be the one going. Polanco would unfortunately push out Julien. Kiriloff has had some time in rehab in the OF. If Julien had more time at 1B, odds would have been better that he stays up. In that case Kiriloff would push out Larnach. Or a trade could be done to accommendate Larnach.

[IndianaTwin]

14 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

Hopefully Farmer won't be gone more than the 10 days & if so not much more. Then Castro might be the one going. Polanco would unfortunately push out Julien. Kiriloff has had some time in rehab in the OF. If Julien had more time at 1B, odds would have been better that he stays up. In that case Kiriloff would push out Larnach. Or a trade could be done to accommendate Larnach.

What I read was that they will get an update on Farmer in about 10 days, so that suggests somewhat more. I haven’t read anything that suggests 60 days — just a sense that it’s the type of injury that doesn’t have much context for comparisons. Certainly hoping for the shorter end. 

[FlyingFinn]

1 hour ago, East Coast Twin said:

Is the remainder of his $750K contract void if he were to elect free agency in that case?

Yes.

[Rosterman]

I want Julien to get as much play as possible while Polanco is doing spring training. He will learn so much and know what he has to work on at AAA, the Twins will have a good look at the guy, and can make mid-season decisions on Polanco.

Kepler and Gallo will replace Wallner and Garlick. Bigger question if and when Kirilloff comes back. And Farmer, too.

 

[FlyingFinn]

10 minutes ago, Rosterman said:

Kepler and Gallo will replace Wallner and Garlick.

I love Julien but bringing two LH batters back, I'm thinking we need guys who can hit RH's. I think Garlick stays until Polanco returns. Gordon, Kepler and Julien can't hit RH's IMO (and Larnach and Gallo aren't exactly great at it) and, with Buxton at DH, one of the catchers is also on the bench.

[RpR]

If Julien stays at this level, he will not be around much longer.

[Doctor Wu]

All this speculation is better than any board game. I love it! It's always fun to guess the next moves that might be made. Nothing I can add except I have no idea what will happen when some of these guys come off the IL. 

[stringer bell]

No pitching move yet today. Perhaps Varland will get another start?

[Squirrel]

Well, the consensus is correct on Wallner down for Kepler. The next moves will be interesting. I think they will hold onto Garlick for as long as possible, so I think Castro or Larnach will be the next to go down with the next activation, and the other with the one after that. (My guess would be Castro for Gallo and Larnach for AK.) Julien is going to be tough but I think he will go down for Polanco. Not sure it’s what I would do or want, I just think those with options will get sent down before losing either Garlick or Gordon. But Gordon is not going to be DFA’d this early. They will, and should imo, give him every opportunity to get it going.

And these thoughts dependent on how players are playing at the times needed to make the transactions.

[Squirrel]

2 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

No pitching move yet today. Perhaps Varland will get another start?

Or just hold him there until they are certain Maeda can make his next start? I don’t think they need a BP arm yet. How soon will Winder be ready? He’s making rehab appearances, yes? Maybe they are waiting for him to be activated and will make that the move?

[JD-TWINS]

6 hours ago, Squirrel said:

Well, the consensus is correct on Wallner down for Kepler. The next moves will be interesting. I think they will hold onto Garlick for as long as possible, so I think Castro or Larnach will be the next to go down with the next activation, and the other with the one after that. (My guess would be Castro for Gallo and Larnach for AK.) Julien is going to be tough but I think he will go down for Polanco. Not sure it’s what I would do or want, I just think those with options will get sent down before losing either Garlick or Gordon. But Gordon is not going to be DFA’d this early. They will, and should imo, give him every opportunity to get it going.

And these thoughts dependent on how players are playing at the times needed to make the transactions.

Unless hurt, Gordon’s not going anywhere. LIFO is what I see happening, for those business guys out there. Last in - first out to St. Paul. Guys with options first, so we don’t get to DFA decisions until necessary. (Julien - Castro - Garlick) ……Larnach has earned the longest look with his bat & OBP to date in April. Moving him down to hope Kiriloff does as well doesn’t make sense. Kiriloff needs to excel in St. Paul and force his way on to the 26 man roster!

Polanco needed back ASAP to stabilize the line-up.

Kepler may hit his way off the team by May 15 - (hard to imagine) not good to date!