All eyes will be on left field and in the bullpen during the Twins' final days of Spring Training.
Only those competitions appear to remain after the Twins reassigned Keon Broxton, JT Riddle, Rob Refsnyder, Tzu-Wei Lin and Tomás Telis to Minor League camp on Saturday, leaving only 30 players on the active camp roster. The moves also indicated that Willians Astudillo and Jake Cave will likely break camp with the team.
With Brent Rooker and Kyle Garlick competing for the final spot in the outfield, Cave appears set to serve in the reserve outfielder role he has held for parts of the past three seasons. Astudillo's versatility at catcher, infield and outfield should be particularly important to the Twins, who will have limited flexibility on Opening Day in Milwaukee because Nelson Cruz won't be allowed to play defense.
Here's a closer look at the final two decisions:
Left field: Rooker and Garlick have both made strong cases for inclusion throughout Spring Training. Rooker, 26, is the top hitting prospect -- ranked No. 13 in the Twins' system -- who was once drafted at No. 35 overall and who has hit at every level in the Minors. Garlick, 29, is the club's home run (five) and RBIs (12) leader this spring and has a lengthy track record of success in the Minors.
The Twins feel that both can make hard contact -- as they've been doing all spring. Rooker can also play first base and has been working hard on his defense, but Garlick is likely the better defender in the outfield. Either way, manager Rocco Baldelli indicated that there could be a significant rotation at the position, which could also feature Cave, Astudillo and Luis Arraez.
"It's not probably a straight platoon," Baldelli said. "It's not probably going to be one person who's rolling out there on most days. We talk about versatility. It could be one of four or five different guys actually running out there in left field on any given day. And there's always the chance that someone steps in and ends up taking a bigger role as we get going."
Baldelli noted that he still thinks of Arraez primarily as an infielder, but in this current outfield configuration, the Twins won't hesitate to put the 23-year-old in left field.
Bullpen: Non-roster pitchers Brandon Waddell and Derek Law have survived to the final round of cuts, and they could still be pushing for a spot on the Twins' Opening Day 26-man roster, where left-hander Caleb Thielbar could have the least certain spot.
Thielbar has pitched well since the Twins called him up in August, with a 2.25 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 20 innings last season, but he got a late start this spring due to a back strain. Meanwhile, both Law (10 strikeouts in seven innings) and Waddell (15 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings) have impressed the Twins' staff with their performances.
Law and Waddell have the challenge of not being on the 40-man roster, but that could be less of an issue because right-hander Edwar Colina is dealing with right elbow inflammation, and his return to the Twins may not be imminent. If he opens the season on the 60-day injured list, that could clear a roster spot.
Garver to return to action soon
Mitch Garver should return to the Twins' lineup within the next two days, Baldelli said. The catcher suffered a bruised left index finger when he took a foul tip to his hand on Thursday against the Red Sox.
"Mitch will be OK," Baldelli said. "He's a little bruised. I think his hand was a little bit bruised and numb for a period of time, but nothing structurally wrong. He says he's doing well."
Kepler snaps skid
It was only an excuse-me bloop to left field, but Max Kepler's fifth-inning single in Saturday's 2-0 loss to the Rays at CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Fla., was much-needed for the right fielder, who had been mired in an 0-for-32 skid since his last hit on March 2.
Kepler has had a low batting average on balls in play throughout his career, and this hitless stretch didn't include an abnormal number of strikeouts. But he also hasn't been walking at his customary rate and doesn't have an extra-base hit in 39 plate appearances.
"When you’re not feeling so hot at the plate, yeah, a hit like that will definitely help you," Baldelli said. "I think it definitely put a smile on his face. And he’s able to go home and drink some water and put his feet up right now, with a knock next to his name. Listen, when [Kepler] gets to Opening Day, just like everyone else over here, everything starts from scratch."
Up next
José Berríos will make his final tuneup of the spring when he takes the mound for a 12:05 p.m. CT first pitch against the Red Sox at JetBlue Park on Sunday. He threw 82 pitches in his last spring outing, and he'll likely taper his workload a bit in this start before he prepares to make the Twins' second start of the season on April 3 at Milwaukee. Right-hander Jorge Alcala and several non-roster pitchers are expected to follow.
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Roster cuts leave two battles open - MLB.com
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