Nick Nelson

Yep, they waited a couple days to send him down. Nothing about the timing of this makes sense to me unless they planned on calling up Berrios. They must have known they were going to need an extra starter this week.

I don't think they can recall him within 10 days of sending him down unless someone goes on the DL.

This season we have already seen two of Minnesota's "Big Three" prospects debut in the majors, with Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano both taking the big step. It's beginning to look very likely that we will see the third in a Twins uniform in the near future – perhaps as soon as this weekend.After delivering his best outing yet for Rochester on Saturday, firing seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts, Jose Berrios now sports numbers in Triple-A that are equally impressive to the ones he posted in Double-A before being promoted. And when I say equal, I mean almost eerily identical: Berrios at AA: 15 GS, 90.2 IP, 3.08 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9, .232 BAA Berrios at AAA: 7 GS, 44.2 IP, 3.02 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 8.7 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9, .232 BAA Despite becoming the youngest pitcher in the International League at age 21, Berrios has transitioned without skipping a beat. He has completed seven innings in four of his last five starts and has a 1.59 ERA during that span. He's big-league ready. The Twins currently have an opening in their rotation with Tommy Milone on the disabled list and Tyler Duffey back in Triple-A after one bad start. Milone is expected to come off the disabled list when he's eligible on Sunday, but that leaves the Twins needing a spot starter on Saturday (or before), unless they want to start Kyle Gibson on short rest, which seems inadvisable considering how he's pitched lately. Calling Berrios up to make one start doesn't really make sense, since it would mean adding him to the 40-man roster (there is currently a vacancy) and burning an option to send him back down, but it's easy to see a scenario where the Twins simply keep him around. His workload will soon become a consideration (he's currently at 135 innings, nearly eclipsing last year's career-high 139), so there's benefit in transitioning him into a temporary long relief role for the time being. And the Twins do look like a team that's going to be needing another starter soon, even with Milone set to return and fill out the rotation. Phil Hughes has been suffering from dead arm, with velocity dropping and results reflecting. Mike Pelfrey has been throwing batting practice for about two months. Milone had a 7.98 post-break ERA prior to landing on the shelf. There are big-picture arguments against calling Berrios up this year, mostly relating to the control of his service clock. But he's an impact player, and while you can make a good case that the fledgling Twins should already be throwing in the towel, they likely feel an obligation – to their players and their fans – to make a legitimate push as long they're within the range of contention. Berrios might be the only prospect left in the system that could actually make a meaningful difference in the team's fortunes the rest of the way. So I think a Berrios appearance this week seems like a pretty good bet. He's done everything that could be asked of him in the minors, and while he would become the youngest pitcher to start a game in the big leagues this year, there are plenty of indications that he's up to the challenge. Click here to view the article

Prior to Sunday's series finale against the Indians, Paul Molitor expressed confidence that starting pitcher Phil Hughes would be able to provide a little relief for a beleaguered staff that had been battered for 26 runs on 33 hits between Friday and Saturday. Modestly setting the expectation at five innings seemed reasonable given that Hughes had made it that distance in all but two of his 54 starts since the beginning of 2014. Instead, he looked as bad as he ever has in a Twins uniform, lasting only three innings while allowing seven runs on nine hits. It's been that kind of second half so far for Molitor and his spiraling club.Since beating Oakland 5-0 in their first game after the All-Star break, the Twins have been in full meltdown mode, winning only five of 21 games with the competition looking increasingly lopsided. Simultaneously, every facet of the roster that Molitor had come to rely on over the first three months is sputtering. Hughes now sports a 5.53 ERA in five post-break starts, and has been part of a systematic failure for a rotation that has collectively recorded only four wins in 22 contests since the All-Star Game after a first-half turnaround that was one of the big stories in baseball. Here's what all of the Twins starters have done since the break. (Context: The average American League starter has a 4.12 ERA and 1.28 WHIP this year.) Phil Hughes: 5.53 ERA, 1.48 WHIP Kyle Gibson: 8.59 ERA, 1.72 WHIP Ervin Santana: 5.16 ERA, 1.45 WHIP Mike Pelfrey: 4.30 ERA, 1.43 WHIP Tommy Milone: 7.98 ERA, 1.43 WHIP And of course we saw what happened to Tyler Duffey in his lone start. Despite some troubling indicators (namely a dreadfully low strikeout rate), Minnesota's starting pitching continued to be reliably solid throughout the first half of the season. Over the past three weeks it has been anything but. Of course, the rotation isn't the only previously steady unit that has unraveled. Twins hitters batted a respectable .256 before the break but are at .221 since, following Sunday's three-hit effort against Corey Kluber. The quality output from Aaron Hicks and Miguel Sano hasn't offset struggles everywhere else in the lineup, including from cornerstones that the Twins have come to count on so heavily. Brian Dozier, whose production in the first half bordered on MVP-caliber, is hitting .212/. 272/.424 since he homered in the All-Star Game. Joe Mauer, who appeared to be returning to form to some extent when he batted .325 with an .829 OPS in 20 games leading up the break, has sunk back into sub-mediocrity, with a .244/.306/.333 slash line in 21 games since. Torii Hunter is batting .209 since the break and Trevor Plouffe is at .203. And then there's Glen Perkins, whose post-break struggles epitomize this ongoing funk. As a media-friendly Minnesota native with three consecutive All-Star appearances under his belt, the long-tenured Perkins has sort of become the unofficial ambassador for the team. He was automatic in the first half, and his ability to nail down every narrow ninth-inning lead was a huge part of the club's unexpected success. Plenty of players have seen their performance drop off since that four-day mid-July respite, but nobody has looked as unlike himself as Perkins, who has blown two of four save attempts while getting slammed by opponents to the tune of .387/.424/.774 in seven appearances. He's been the only completely trustworthy option in a bullpen that has been shaky for most of the year, so the impact his ineffectiveness is magnified. As good as the Twins looked back in May, they've looked equally bad during this latest stretch, across every phase of the game. Suddenly the good vibes are drying up quickly as this begins to look like a team that could approach 90 losses. Amazingly, in spite of this lengthy slump, the Twins are still clinging to second place in a Central division that many pegged at the start of the season as one of the best in baseball. Monday's day off seems like a critical one, as players and coaches look inward and search for answers in an effort to turn the tide on this immense team-wide slump. What can be done? Click here to view the article

While the lone player selected ahead of him in the 2012 draft, Carlos Correa, continues to build his case as already being the best shortstop in baseball at age 21, Byron Buxton is wrapping up yet another lengthy stay on the disabled list, his fourth in two years. The 21-year-old outfielder is expected to report to Rochester for a rehab stint today. This latest setback for Buxton has been a huge downer, but not necessarily for the reasons you'd expect.Of course it would have been nice to have Buxton around over these past several weeks, purely from a spectator standpoint. He's exciting to watch, and he's also a critical component of this emerging young core. When you watch Buck fly around the bases and outfield, you truly feel like you're watching the future, and with the Twins rapidly spiraling out of contention, that's really all we have to cling onto. But his absence has been offset by the emergence of Aaron Hicks, who has taken advantage of his renewed opportunity in a big way. Considering the extent to which Buxton was struggling at the plate before getting hurt, it seems safe to say that the Twins benefited in the short term by replacing him in center. The big negative in this whole scenario is more of a long-term consideration -- unfortunate since that's where this organization's gaze is set. Buxton has only played in 11 big-league games this season, but he has been burning through MLB service time during the entirety of his stay on the disabled list, and will continue to do so at least until his rehab assignment officially comes to a close. My assumption is that the Twins will keep the speedy outfielder in Triple-A once he is activated, but until he is officially optioned to the minors he'll keep adding onto that clock. When it's all said and done he'll likely have logged almost two months of MLB service time (at least), while providing almost no benefit to the team. That isn't anyone's fault, of course. The Twins were right to call him up when they did and couldn't have possibly anticipated him getting hurt less than two weeks later. It is just another in a long line of gut-punch bad breaks for the top prospect, but unlike the multiple injuries that plagued Buxton last year in the minors, this one affects the amount of time that the club will control his services when he's in his true prime, and also could escalate his price more quickly. Hopefully that will all become moot, with Buxton developing into a star player and Minnesota locking him up on a long-term deal, negating this hiccup. That all starts with a successful return to the field and a strong finish to the season, setting him up to take over center field at the start of 2016, for good. Click here to view the article

When Tommy Milone landed on the disabled list with an elbow strain over the weekend, it was Tyler Duffey who got the call to take his place. Though Jose Berrios and Trevor May were also strong candidates for the assignment, Duffey is the most logical choice at this time, and plenty deserving. His big-league debut Wednesday night in Toronto will mark a big moment in what is shaping up to be one of the organization's most impressive developmental success stories in years.Berrios and May have also been success stories, of course, but not quite in the same sense. The Twins spent the No. 32 overall pick in the 2012 draft to acquire Berrios, widely viewed as one of the best high school pitchers in the class. And they had to give up a quality big-league asset (Ben Revere) six months later in order to bring aboard May, who was one of the Philadelphia's more established arms in the minors. Duffey was selected 128 picks after Berrios, in the fifth round. He had been a dominant closer at Rice University but was one of several collegiate relief arms that the Twins targeted with designs on being converted to a starter. In most cases, that didn't pan out. In his case, it has worked out beautifully. Duffey began transitioning into a starting role in 2013 and has been working in that capacity exclusively since the start of 2014. His results have gradually grown better and better since the switch, and that's an extremely promising sign. Last year, his first fully committed to starting, Duffey put up a 3.68 ERA while averaging 6.8 K/9. He allowed 17 homers in 149 innings. This year, competing at the highest levels of the minors, he has a 2.66 ERA while averaging 8.0 K/9. He has allowed one home run in 132 innings. As encouraging as the improved results are, so too is his steadily increasing workload, which suggests that his arm is responding well to the rigors of starting. Last year he made 25 starts; in the first 13, he completed seven innings only once. He made it that distance six times in his final 12 turns. This year he has already completed seven-plus frames 10 times in his 21 starts between Double-A and Triple-A. Though the reverse path is quite common, there is a litany of hurdles involved with turning a reliever into a starter, and it's pretty rare to see it work out so well (thus, my reservations about drafting Tyler Jay sixth overall this year). But gambling on Duffey with a fifth-round pick was a savvy move for the Twins and now, just over three years later, they'll see the dividends on a major-league mound. Click here to view the article

The Twins have finally made their first splash, with just a couple hours remaining until the 3:00 PM non-waiver trade deadline. Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that Minnesota has acquired right-hander Kevin Jepsen from the Tampa Bay Rays.Jepsen, 31, has posted a 2.81 ERA and 1.30 WHIP for Tampa this year after being picked up from the Angels in exchange for Matt Joyce during the offseason. Jepsen is earning a $3 million this season (about a million of that commitment remains) and will be eligible for arbitration for a final time in 2016. There is no word yet on what the Twins gave up to get him, although we'll update this column as soon as we know. UPDATE: The Twins sent minor-leaguers RHP Chih-Wei Hu and RHP Alexis Tapia to Tampa Bay in the deal. Jepsen is hardly a top-flight relief arm, sporting a career 3.80 ERA and 1.35 WHIP, but he has been quite effective over the past couple seasons. He was a strikeout machine last year with the Angels, averaging 10.4 K/9, but has seen that number drop to 7.3 this season while his walks have gone up. His average fastball velocity of 94.4 MPH will stand out in the Twins bullpen, although it is his lowest since 2011. Despite some downward trends, Jepsen is almost certainly an upgrade over Casey Fien and Blaine Boyer, and will most likely take over as Paul Molitor's top eighth-inning option. Stay tuned for more analysis of this move, as well as any others that the Twins might have in store before this afternoon's deadline. Click here to view the article

Whoops! That's not a nitpick, that's a key detail. Fixed, thanks.

Deadline day is here. At 3:00 PM Central Time, MLB teams will no longer be able to complete trades without going through the waiver process. It is widely expected that the Twins will make some sort of move(s) today, so we'll have up-to-the-second updates on all the latest rumors and happenings in this article. Stay tuned!3:00 PM: We've reached the deadline, and there is no word of any other movements from the Twins. Looks like Jepsen is it for today, although we'll update here if anything else trickles in. Just a reminder: relievers are frequently traded in August. 12:55 PM: According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, the Twins have acquired right-hander Kevin Jepsen from the Rays. Click here for our story on the move. 12:30 PM: Longtime Rays beat writer Marc Topkin pointed to Kevin Jepsen as the reliever most likely to be traded by Tampa, and specifically called out the Twins as a likely destination. Jepsen, 31, is a right-hander with a 2.70 ERA and 1.14 WHIP dating back to the start of 2013, and 2016 will be his final season of arbitration eligibility. 10:50 AM: La Velle E. Neal III adds another name that he's been hearing in addition to Benoit -- Tampa Bay reliever Jake McGee. The 28-year-old lefty has a 1.46 ERA and 34-to-3 K/BB ratio in 24 2/3 innings this year. 10:30 AM: Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish cites "multiple sources" saying that the Padres and Twins have been talking, adding that one rumor has San Diego taking on Ricky Nolasco's contract as part of the deal (possibly in return for the Twins taking on James Shields?). Mike Berardino adds that the Padres are not among the three teams on Nolasco's no-trade clause. Friday Morning Rumors * Mike Berardino tweeted on Thursday that the Twins are not interested in Red Sox relievers Junichi Tazawa or Craig Breslow, citing the lack of team control going forward as a primary reason. Sounds like the Twins want someone who will stick around, which narrows the field quite a bit. * Berardino also said Thursday that the "buzz/hope" around the Twins' clubhouse is that the team will acquire Padres reliever Joaquin Benoit today. * Terry Ryan insisted that action is on the way before the deadline. As Phil Miller wrote, Ryan told reporters on Thursday, "I think there might be a little bit of a flurry tomorrow," adding that he has "every intention of trying to improve this club and find a piece here and a piece there." Other Resources to Check Out * Seth looked at the Twins' history at the trade deadline and examined several possible moves in our Official Deadline Day thread. * Seth also took an in-depth look at all of Minnesota's most logical trade chips. * Jeremy discussed the ongoing dialogue between the Twins and likely trade partner San Diego, and speculated on a possible James Shields trade. Click here to view the article

I'm a big May fan, and agree with y'all that trading him would be extremely tough, BUT you almost have to give up pitching to land a major piece, and I'd be more inclined to include him than Berrios or Gibson. If you don't believe the Twins should be looking to land a major piece right now, I wouldn't necessarily disagree, but if losing May meant they could land a young catcher or SS?

The Twins open a four-game series with the Mariners at Target Field on Thursday evening, and the non-waiver trade deadline will arrive the following afternoon. While Minnesota is not expected to pull off blockbuster moves on the level of fellow postseason contenders like Kansas City, Houston and Toronto, Terry Ryan has certainly been active in talks and there's a pretty good chance we'll see at least one or two new players in Twins uniforms this weekend.The Twins, 52-48, and maintaining a slim lead for the second wild-card spot, are in a fairly different place from the Mariners, who at 46-56 are on the outside looking in. But the two clubs share a commonality in that they are future-focused and in no position to act as aggressive buyers with a championship mindset. With that in mind, let's take a look at the five most likely players in both organizations to be gone before 3:00 PM on Friday, with notes on potential matches between the two teams: Top 5 Most Likely Mariners To Be Traded: 1) Hisashi Iwakuma, SP His name has been mentioned most often in trade rumors among Seattle players. Iwakuma is in the final season of his contract with the M's and although his 5.10 ERA might not pop out, his peripherals are mostly in line with the ones he posted over the past three years, during which he has gone 38-20 with a 3.07 ERA. He is scheduled to pitch on Sunday, but we'll see if he's still around. 2) Fernando Rodney, RP Here's an interesting case. Rodney led the American League with 48 saves as Seattle's closer last year, and opened this season back in the same role, but lost his hold on it after a terrible first two months. The veteran reliever has continued to deliver uneven performances but his velocity is there. The Mariners reportedly believe he's been tipping his pitches, which seems correctable. Could another team – like, say, the Twins – take a shot at trying to straighten him out? The impending free agent wouldn't theoretically cost a ton. 3) Austin Jackson, CF Jackson has been an ineffective player ever since coming over to the Mariners at the deadline a year ago in the three-team blockbuster that sent David Price to Detroit. He'll be eligible for free agency this winter and Seattle probably doesn't have a lot of interest in keeping him around. Given his past success, he might be viewed as a guy who could benefit from a change of scenery, and plenty of teams could use a two-way outfielder. 4) J.A. Happ, SP Another hurler on the verge of free agency, Happ has been struggling lately after performing decently over the first two months. He doesn't boast a ton of value but could interest some club as a fifth starter, and the Mariners would take what they can get. Happ is slated to start against Phil Hughes in the series opener on Thursday. 5) Jesus Montero, DH The Mariners hoped to be getting a cornerstone offensive piece when they acquired Montero from the Yankees for Michael Pinedo back in 2012. He played in 135 games for Seattle as a 22-year-old that year, batting .260 with 15 homers. Since then, he has played only 40 total games in the majors. It seems odd the team so hungry for offense would be so opposed to giving a talented young bat a more extensive chance, but as things stand, Montero will be out of options next year and remains trapped in Triple-A. Top 5 Most Likely Twins To Be Traded: 1) Oswaldo Arcia, OF Arcia is currently stuck in limbo. He's a major-league caliber hitter but there's no room for him in the Twins outfield with Eddie Rosario, Aaron Hicks and Torii Hunter entrenched. This isn't exactly the ideal time to move Arcia, given that he hasn't played in the bigs since getting hurt back in early May and his Triple-A numbers aren't overwhelming. Still, he's been one of the best hitters for his age in the majors over the past couple years, and I believe his raw hitting ability is highly respected across the league. He'll be out of options next year, so if he isn't in the Twins plans they might see if they can flip him and help themselves out this year. An offense-needy team like the Mariners could make sense. 2) Aaron Hicks, OF Another outfielder who will be out of options next year is Hicks, and while dealing him doesn't seem to make sense given that he appears to be turning a corner, that also might be why it makes the most sense. With everything he's been showing since his latest call-up, I have to imagine that his value is as high as it has ever been, and while he's looking like he'd be a fine right fielder for the Twins next year, he might have more value to another team in center. 3) Mike Pelfrey, SP There's little question that the Twins would like to move Pelfrey, given their logjam in the rotation and his status as the only starter who is not under team control after this year. The question is whether they can flip him for anything of value. His dreadful run over the past month, combined with a mediocre long-term track record, aren't particularly appealing. But there's a chance some contender that misses out on other options might settle for him as a plug-in at the back of the rotation. 4) Jorge Polanco, SS Losing Polanco would be tough, since the Twins obviously have a hole at shortstop, but no one seems fully convinced he can play there in the majors, and with his combination of age, excellent minor-league numbers and MLB experience make him a valuable chip. 5) Trevor May, SP May is a much more attractive target than Pelfrey. He has shown he can strike out big-league hitters and he has many years of inexpensive team control ahead. He's also currently miscast in a relief role. Ryan will be rightfully reluctant to part with him, but May is the kind of piece that would need to be included if the Twins want to make a substantial acquisition – like, say, a young catcher. Click here to view the article

This week's short series against the Pirates at Target Field has a little bit of everything: a rarely seen interleague opponent with one of the game's biggest stars, an old friend taking the hill on Wednesday, and plenty of drama as two teams in the thick of the wild card race face off with the trade deadline bearing down.Proving Grounds The Twins have a lot to prove this week. With a record that is six games above .500, they're still very much in the wild card mix, but ever since their magical run in May, they haven't shown the ability to overcome quality opponents. If you count the home-and-away with the Cardinals – where the Twins lost two in St. Louis and then took two at Target Field – as a split, Minnesota has won only three series since the start of June. Those have come against the last-place White Sox, and the Orioles and Tigers – two reeling clubs that are now weighing the idea of selling and packing it in for 2015. With the Pirates coming to town, the Twins have a chance to erase the bad taste from that brutal setback against the Yankees over the weekend and score some big wins against a high-end team. Steel Curtain At 57-41, the Pirates have the second-best record in the National League and third-best in baseball. They largely owe their success to some truly splendid work on the mound. Pittsburgh's 3.05 team ERA ranks second in the majors, trailing only St. Louis' ridiculous 2.65 mark. This is a very difficult team to score against, which won't play in favor of a Twins offense that has been held to three or fewer runs in six of nine contests since the break. Center Stage Byron Buxton is gearing up to start a rehab stint after losing more than a month to a thumb injury, and it's not clear what Minnesota's plan will be with the young outfielder when he's ready. However, fans at Target Field this week will get to catch a glimpse of the kind of player that we're all hoping Buxton eventually develops into. Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen appeared in his fifth straight All-Star Game earlier this month. He has placed among the Top 3 vote-getters for the NL MVP in each of the last three seasons, winning the award in 2013. Although he may have trouble breaking into that conversation this year, with sluggers like Bryce Harper and Paul Goldschmidt leading the pack, McCutchen is enjoying another excellent season. He's sporting a .292/.388/.488 slash line to go along with 25 doubles, 13 homers and five steals. McCutchen is a special talent and a guy who's worth the price admission to see, especially in light of how rarely the opportunity arises. This is his first ever trip to Target Field and he probably won't be back soon. Containing the Cutch will be a primary imperative for Twins pitchers in these two games. Speaking of pitchers, let's take a look at the starters that will be facing off. PITCHING MATCH-UPS Tuesday, 7:10 PM: RHP Charlie Morton vs. RHP Mike Pelfrey This is a compelling tilt from numerous angles. On the one end, you've got a beatable opponent in Morton. His 4.59 ERA ranks as the worst of the Pirates starters and he has allowed nine runs over 12 2/3 innings in his two starts since the break. On the other end, you've got Pelfrey, who might be pitching for his job. Pelf has gone 0-5 with a 6.87 ERA in his past seven starts and it's tough to imagine the Twins putting up with that kind of output much longer, especially with Trevor May and Jose Berrios standing by. If you want to see some runs scored, this game is your best bet. Forecast (via Weather.com): Chance of storms early, high of 86 Wednesday, 12:10 PM: LHP Francisco Liriano vs. RHP Ervin Santana Liriano is enjoying a third straight fantastic season in Pittsburgh, where he has recaptured the dominance that flashed so sporadically in his early career. He had his worst start of the year against Minnesota back in mid-May, when the Twins jumped all over him for seven runs in two innings, but since then he has gone 5-2 with a 2.10 ERA, .192 opponents' average and 84-to-21 K/BB ratio in 73 innings. He's really good. Of course, Santana has also been really good since returning from his suspension, putting up a 2.60 ERA in four starts while holding the opposition to a .196 average. When they're on their game, both Liriano and Santana feature wipe-out sliders, so life could be pretty tough in the batter's box on Wednesday afternoon. Fans of a good pitching duel ought to enjoy this one. Forecast: Sunny, high of 83 Click here to view the article

Escobar played 98 games at SS last year. Committed 5 errors. Rated well by UZR. Looked pretty good to my eyes. (shrug) The Twins also did not view JJ Hardy as a strong defensive SS. I don't view their opinion on these matters as gospel.

Zero range?? Did you see the grounder he got to in the hole last night? Would have been one of the best infield plays the Twins have made all year if Mauer could've scooped the (admittedly tough) short hop.

See, I don't get that at all. Escobar's a very solid defensive shortstop, albeit not a Gold Glover. What don't you like about his game?

With the trade deadline less than 10 days away, our coverage of potential targets at positions of need has been ramping up here at Twins Daily. Recently we looked at relievers and catchers. Yesterday, Seth eyed the shortstop market and Jeremy wrote about a long-shot deal for Troy Tulowitzki. Personally, I see shortstop as a much less urgent need than the other two positions mentioned. For one thing, there are legit prospects in the system, namely Jorge Polanco and Nick Gordon, and that isn't true at catcher. Secondly, they have a decent option at shortstop on the roster right now. He just hasn't been playing much, inexplicably.When the Twins optioned Danny Santana to Triple-A in early June, they were making a commitment to Eduardo Escobar at shortstop. Escobar was a very productive starter at the position for Minnesota in 2014, and Paul Molitor had shown a clear affinity for the 26-year-old infielder over the first two months of 2015, regularly inserting him into the lineup as left fielder or even DH with no openings available in the infield. Swapping out Santana for Escobar looked like a win-win, providing a moderate upgrade at short while also allowing Molitor to use more offensive-oriented options in the spots where he'd previously been plugging Escobar. And the switch worked well. Escobar, who had struggled with the stick in April and May, started to find a groove, batting .303/.343/.485 in his first seven games after Santana's demotion. Slashing liners all over the field, Escobar flashed the kind of ability that he had in 2014, beginning to validate the immense faith Molitor had shown in his bat early on. The hot streak helped raise Escobar's OPS to where it currently sits at .684; while that might not seem at all impressive on the surface, it is above the average mark for a major-league shortstop, and more than 100 points higher than the player he replaced. Yet, when Byron Buxton went down with an injury in late June, Santana was recalled and immediately handed the reins at short despite Escobar's success as a fill-in. Since stepping back in, Santana has continued to hit poorly – .236/.263/.364 with 14 strikeouts and one unintentional walk in 18 games – and even more perturbingly, he has been sloppy defensively. The 24-year-old has committed 15 errors this year, more than all but three MLB shortstops (and those three have all played about 30 more games). Even when he hasn't been charged with errors, there have been countless miscues and hiccups. While Santana clearly has all the physical tools to be a good shortstop, he is far too prone to mistakes, backing up the reputation that came along with him from the minors. Nevertheless, he has continued to play over the more sure-handed Escobar, who has started only five of Minnesota's 16 games in July. Escobar was back in the lineup on Tuesday night, making just his second start at shortstop since the fourth of July. The smart money is on him sticking there, especially after what we saw from Santana in Oakland over the weekend. Click here to view the article