Twins' Kyle Farmer Turns to His 2021 Swing During Rehab Assignment, Aiming for Productive Return

ST. PAUL– This week, the Twins sent yet another player on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints. Kyle Farmer joined the team for the start of their six-game homestand on Tuesday night, starting at second base in his first game since Jul. 10 against the Chicago White Sox. Farmer had not faced any live pitching before his rehab assignment started, which set up a bit of a challenge to end a nearly month-long drought.

“It was good,” Farmer said on his first game. “It didn’t, you know it always, especially when you get older it kind of takes you a little bit longer, but today. During my last at-bat, I came back in here to watch video of my swing in my 2021 season and noticed my front hip was opening up a little bit and I made that adjustment in my last at-bat and it was good.”

His shoulder hasn't been an issue at all, as Farmer said it's felt back to normal during these first two rehab games. With his shoulder in good health, he took the time to focus more on getting his swing back into form.

He went back to the video from 2021 because it was one of his best seasons at the plate, and it certainly was. He had career highs in home runs (16), slugging (.416), and OPS (.732). The numbers backed up the motive to revisit footage from that season and make adjustments from there.

“I wanted to look at the move I was doing, and this past year, my front hip has been open up a little bit all year. I usually dive, and I haven’t been diving towards the plate a little bit. So my last at-bat, I kept my hip in a little bit longer,” said Farmer.

In his first two rehab games, Farmer has gone 1-for-8 at the plate, with an RBI double to end Wednesday’s 4-2 Saints win over the Columbus Clippers. The focus for many major-league players on rehab stints is getting back into gameday routines, rather than results, especially for hitters.

In Farmer’s case, his first game on the field Tuesday was focused on getting reps on the field at second base. His second game, at DH, gave him more time to solely focus on his swing and make adjustments, like he did with his hip, to get back into the literal swing of things. 

Saints manager Toby Gardenhire confirmed this as he broke down Farmer’s outlook following Wednesday’s game.

“He seemed like he felt good,” said Gardenhire. “Like we talked about yesterday, he’s just working into things, hasn’t had at-bats in a long time so him getting at-bats. He’s going to get more comfortable over time.”

And Farmer will have more time in the field again Thursday, as he’s expected to play on the Saints' left side of the infield. If Farmer had his choice, he’d be playing shortstop, but he understands that where he’s playing isn’t as important as getting the reps in. 

The rehab outing isn’t just something that benefits Farmer, but his Saints teammates as well. Farmer is one of the most respected veteran players in the Twins clubhouse these last two seasons, and many have looked to his leadership on the team. While many of the Saints players haven’t spent nearly as much time around Farmer since Spring Training, they’re still taking advantage of his presence there.

“I learn from them too. They’re a lot younger than me and some guys are ten years younger than me, so I enjoy being around these younger guys. They keep me loose and I just try to teach them positivity. You never know when this game is going to end and you’re going to get out, learn from it, and always stay positive,” said Farmer. 

Farmer will have at least one more game with the Saints Thursday night. What happens to him ahead of the doubleheader against Cleveland that opens a seven-game homestand Friday afternoon is anyone’s guess. But Farmer isn’t focusing too far ahead, and will do his part to get himself ready for the Twins one game at a time.