Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Miguel Sano

Twins Select Devin Smeltzer, Option Alex Kirilloff To Triple-A

By | at

3:31PM: Alex Kirilloff was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Smeltzer on the active roster. Kirilloff has hit only .172/.226/.172 over 32 plate appearances, and also spent close to three weeks the IL due to wrist inflammation. To open a 40-man spot for Smeltzer, Miguel Sano is being placed on the 60-day IL.  Sano underwent knee surgery on May 3, and the Twins’ expectation is that Sano will return at some point this season, though the 60-day placement sidelines him until July at the earliest.

2:36PM: The Twins are going to select the contract of Devin Smeltzer today, per Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com, with the lefty getting the start in tonight’s game against the Guardians. Smeltzer is not currently on the club’s 40-man roster, meaning a corresponding move will be required to open a spot for him.

Acquired from the Dodgers in the Brian Dozier trade, Smeltzer had a solid MLB debut with the Twins in 2019. In 49 innings over six starts and five relief appearances, he put up a 3.86 ERA. His 18.8% strikeout rate was below average, but he limited walks at a rate of 5.9%. In the shortened 2020 season, he took a step backward, logging a 6.75 ERA in 16 innings. Last year, elbow issues limited him to just 4 2/3 innings and led to his outright in November.

The 26-year-old seems to have gotten things back on track this year, as he’s been healthy and starting in Triple-A. Over five starts, he’s thrown 21 innings with a 3.86 ERA, 20.5% strikeout rate and 6.8% walk rate.

For the Twins, as recently as a week ago, it seemed they were nearing a starting pitching surplus. Sonny Gray came off the injured list and joined Chris Archer, Chris Paddack, Josh Winder and Joe Ryan in the rotation. It seemed like the club would have to make a tough choice on how to assign the pitching duties once Dylan Bundy and Bailey Ober returned from the injured list. However, a few days later, Paddack left his start with elbow inflammation and is now on the 60-day IL, possibly heading towards Tommy John surgery.

While Paddack’s injury has created the need for Smeltzer to step in, it’s possible that it could just be a spot start. After today, the club plays four more before an off-day on May 19. However, after that, the club will play 18 games in 17 days, due to a doubleheader on May 31. Smeltzer is out of options, meaning the club will need to keep him on the roster if they hope to use him again during that stretch.

The recuperation of Bundy and Ober will likely play a role in determining Smeltzer’s status. Bundy is currently on the COVID IL and will need a spot on the 40-man roster when he returns. He has cleared COVID protocols but is still feeling some of the effects of the illness, per Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Ober went on the IL two weeks ago due to a groin strain but has been throwing bullpens recently, per Park.

Miguel Sano To Undergo Surgery To Repair Torn Meniscus In Knee

By | at

Twins first baseman Miguel Sanó is undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his injured left knee, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including Britt Ghiroli of the Athletic). There is no timetable for his return, although Joe Trezza of MLB.com tweeted yesterday that Sanó would be expected back this season even if he were to go under the knife.

It’s a disappointing development for the burly slugger, who turns 29 next week. Sanó apparently tweaked his knee during a win over the Tigers on Tuesday. That kept him out of the lineup until Saturday; Sanó tried to play through the injury during that contest against the Rays, but he was removed mid-game because of continued soreness. The team placed him on the injured list yesterday with what they termed a sprain, and the meniscus tear represents further bad news.

Sanó had gotten off to a rough start even before the injury. He’s hitting just .093/.231/.148 in 17 games. He’s striking out at a 32.3% clip that’s nearly ten percentage points higher than the league mark, but that’s par for the course for him. More significant is that he had just one extra-base hit (a home run) over 65 trips to the plate. Yet he’d barreled up five balls and was still consistently hitting the ball hard, according to Statcast. That seemed to indicate Sanó would find more power production as the weather improved, but that’ll be put on hold for an indeterminate amount of time.

Throughout his seven-plus years in Minnesota, Sanó has been an up-and-down performer. He’s shown the ability to serve as a middle-of-the-order masher at times, including a 34-homer season in 105 games for the 2019 team branded as the “bomba squad.” Yet he’s also had his share of ruts as the strikeouts have mounted. His 2021 campaign was something of a microcosm of his overall tenure. He limped to a .196/.279/.426 line through the season’s first half before quietly turning in a .250/.343/.504 performance after the All-Star Break.

Sanó is playing this season on a $10.58MM salary. Minnesota has a $14MM option on his services for 2023 (with a $2.75MM buyout). Sanó needs a strong showing at the plate to convince the front office to pick up that tab. Between his slow start and injury absence, that looks to be trending towards a buyout, although the club will evaluate his recovery and post-surgery production before making that call.

Without Sanó, it seems the Twins will move forward with a combination of Luis Arraez and top prospect Jose Miranda at first base. Arraez has more experience at each of second base, third base and in left field, but he’s not a particularly strong defender at any of those spots. His contact-oriented approach makes for an atypical fit at first base (and a complete 180° turn from the shape of Sanó’s production), but Arraez has been an above-average offensive player throughout his career. Miranda was called up for his big league debut when Sanó went on the IL; he can also play multiple positions but is regarded as a bat-first infielder himself.

Twins Place Miguel Sano On 10-Day Injured List, Surgery Under Consideration

By | at

MAY 2: Surgery is on the table for Sano, who officially went on the IL this morning with a left knee sprain, according to Baldelli (Helfand link). The Twins will make the determination of whether a procedure is necessary this week. If Sano were to go under the knife, he’d still be expected to return this season, tweets Joe Trezza of MLB.com.

MAY 1: The Twins will be placing first baseman Miguel Sano on the 10-day injured list, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including Betsy Helfand of The St. Paul Pioneer Press).  Sano is dealing with a sore left knee.  Catcher Jose Godoy will also be optioned to Triple-A, so the Twins will get their roster from 28 players down to 26 by tomorrow’s deadline.

Sano has missed four of Minnesota’s last five games with the injury, suffered during the game-ending rundown in the Twins’ 5-4 walkoff win over the Tigers on Tuesday.  After sitting out three games, Sano was the starting first baseman Saturday but was removed from the game during the seventh inning.

A timeline isn’t yet known for when Sano might be able to return to the lineup, but this absence could serve as something of a reset to his 2022 season.  Sano has been ice cold at the plate, hitting only .093/.231/.148 over his first 65 plate appearances.  As horrific as those numbers look, Sano has also been rather unusually unlucky, with only a .121 BABIP and a .196 wOBA far below his .344 xwOBA.  Sano’s xwOBA is actually above the league average, and his hard-contact numbers (hard-hit ball percentage, barrel percentage) and walk rate have all been excellent.

Though this indicates some hope Sano can rebound once he returns from the IL, the Twins will be shorthanded at first base in his absence.  Alex Kirilloff would normally take over the corner but Kirilloff is himself injured, currently on a minor league rehab assignment for a wrist issue.  If losing Sano and Kirilloff wasn’t enough for the Twins, Kyle Garlick also left today’s game due to calf tightness, so Minnesota might also have a gap to fill in the outfield depth chart.

Luis Arraez had never played first base prior to this season, but the utilityman has been filling in for Sano this week and looks like Minnesota’s top choice as the temporary replacement.  Baldelli also suggested that third baseman Gio Urshela or catcher Gary Sanchez could get some work at first base.  Urshela has played a handful of games at the position during his career, while Sanchez has played three games as a first baseman during his pro career (and none since 2017).

Twins Promote Jose Miranda

By | at

The Twins announced this morning they’ve recalled infield prospect Jose Miranda and left-hander Jovani Moran from Triple-A St. Paul. In corresponding moves, first baseman Miguel Sanó and outfielder Kyle Garlick were placed on the 10-day injured list. Righty Cole Sands and catcher José Godoy were optioned to St. Paul as part of the culling of active rosters from 28 to 26.

The most notable move in the sequence is the promotion of Miranda, who is headed to the big leagues for the first time. Minnesota selected the 23-year-old onto their 40-man roster last offseason, but he began the year on optional assignment back to St. Paul. The right-handed hitter is off to a bit of a slow start, posting a .256/.295/.442 showing through his first 90 plate appearances.

That’s likely not of huge concern to the Twins, as Miranda tore the cover off the ball in the minors last season. The Puerto Rico native began the year with Double-A Wichita. Miranda hit .345/.408/.588 through 47 games with the Wind Surge, earning a bump to St. Paul by the end of June. He picked up right where he left off at the minors’ highest level, closing out the year with a .343/.397/.563 showing in 373 plate appearances for the Saints.

That high minors domination positioned Miranda as a near-term MLB option for the Twins while elevating his prospect status. Over the offseason, each of Baseball America, FanGraphs, Keith Law of the Athletic and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN slotted Miranda among the back half of their Top 100 prospects. Reports unanimously praised his combination of bat-to-ball skills and raw power, although all four outlets suggested he’s a fringy defender at best at the hot corner. Miranda has also posted low walk rates throughout his time in the minors, although that’s in large part due to the bat control for which he’s lauded. Given his ability to put the bat on the ball, he’s not one to work many deep counts, keeping both his walk and strikeout totals down.

With Sanó headed to the IL, Miranda looks likely to play a multi-positional infield role for the time being. All 14 of his defensive outings this season have come at third base, but he also had a fair bit of run at second and first base last year (in addition to briefer stops at shortstop and in left field). Carlos Correa and Jorge Polanco are locked in up the middle in Minnesota, with Gio Urshela and bat-first utilityman Luis Arraez the top options at the corners. Miranda could work his way into the corner infield/DH mix, at least until Sanó returns.

It’s unclear how long Sanó will be sidelined after he hit the IL due to left knee soreness last night. The team announced it today as a sprain, with the placement retroactive to May 1. Garlick, meanwhile, suffered a right calf strain.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Twins Place Kenta Maeda On 10-Day Injured List

By | at

Aug. 26: Maeda saw an orthopedic surgeon in Dallas, but there is not a definite plan for the treatment moving forward, per Phil Miller of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). There are multiple surgical options on the table, as well as the possibility for a rehab approach.

Aug. 24: Maeda is receiving multiple opinions on the injury, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. He adds that there’s “some concern” regarding possible damage to the right-hander’s ulnar collateral ligament as well.

Aug. 23: As expected, the Twins placed Maeda on the 10-day injured list due to right forearm tightness.  The placement is retroactive to August 22.  Miguel Sano was reinstated from the paternity list and will take Maeda’s spot on the active roster.

Aug. 21: Twins right-hander Kenta Maeda left today’s start due to right forearm tightness.  Maeda allowed one run in his first four innings against the Yankees but then ran into trouble in the fifth, retiring only one batter and then allowing the next four New York hitters to reach base.  Maeda had thrown nine consecutive balls before finally leaving the game.

Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli told Phil Miller of The Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter links) and other reporters that Maeda will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.  It seems like a trip to the injured list will be in order, as Baldelli said “I don’t see very many scenarios right now where it’s not going to take some time to get Kenta back where he needs to be.”

Given the date, it certainly seems like Maeda’s season could be in jeopardy, to say nothing of a longer-term absence should his forearm injury prove to be serious.  Maeda has made four visits to the IL during his six Major League seasons, though none of those stints were particularly long, and none involved an arm injury.  Though Maeda’s contract (initially signed prior to the 2016 season) was rather notably incentive-heavy due to the Dodgers’ concerns about his physical, the righty has been mostly durable as he has pitched into his age-33 season.

Over 106 1/3 innings in 2021, Maeda has a 4.66 ERA, easily his highest as a Major Leaguer.  That ERA is partially due to bad luck, as Maeda’s Statcast numbers are solid and he has above-average strikeout and walk rates.  “Above average,” however, still represents a marked step backwards from Maeda’s elite 2020 performance, as the Twins righty finished second in AL Cy Young Award voting.

While the Twins are already looking ahead to 2022, losing Maeda for at least a while will only further deplete the team’s pitching depth.  Minnesota has been deploying three rookies (Bailey Ober, Griffin Jax, and Charlie Barnes) in the rotation due to injuries and Jose Berrios leaving town at the trade deadline, with the newly-acquired John Gant also getting starts.

Twins Place Alex Kirilloff On Injured List, Activate Miguel Sano

By | at

The Twins announced that they’ve placed outfielder/first baseman Alex Kirilloff on the 10-day injured list due to a right wrist sprain and reinstated Miguel Sano from the injured list in his place. Kirilloff’s IL placement is retroactive to May 4. Minnesota also optioned lefty Brandon Waddell to Triple-A St. Paul and recalled fellow southpaw Lewis Thorpe, who’ll start tonight’s game.

It’s an ill-timed setback for the Twins and for the 23-year-old Kirilloff, a former first-round pick and consensus Top 50 overall prospect in MLB who’d been their hottest hitter of late. Kirilloff was called up for an audition two weeks ago, and while he got out to a miserable 0-for-15 start, he’d finally begun to see his huge hard-contact rates bear fruit.

Kirilloff homered four times in the Twins’ series victory over the Royals this past weekend and came back with a pair of doubles Monday against the Rangers. Over his past seven games, Kirilloff had put together a blistering .321/.333/.857 batting line with seven extra-base hits and 11 runs knocked in.

The team has yet to provide a timetable for when the promising slugger might return to the club. Manager Rocco Baldelli rather vaguely told reporters yesterday that that the injury “doesn’t appear to be the most minor of things,” adding that Kirilloff would see a specialist (link via Meagan Ryan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune). It’s particularly concerning given that Kirilloff endured multiple IL stints in 2019 due to problems in that same right wrist.

Sano has been out for a bit more than two weeks due to a hamstring strain. He opened the season in a dreadful slump, going just 5-for-45 to begin the 2021 campaign. Sano has walked at what would (obviously) be a career-best 22.4 percent clip and has actually cut back on his prolific strikeout rate through his first 58 plate appearances, but some of those punchouts have simply been swapped out for pop-ups; he’s already up to six infield flies this year.

Twins Place Miguel Sano On IL, Promote Alex Kirilloff

By | at

April 23: The Twins have confirmed that Sano is on the 10-day IL and that both Kirilloff and Gordon have been recalled from their alternate training site in St. Paul. Minnesota also selected the contract of infielder Tzu-Wei Lin to the big league roster and returned catcher Tomas Telis to the alternate site. Telis had been selected off the taxi squad as a replacement player for a Covid IL placement, so he can be sent back to the alternate site and removed from the 40-man roster without clearing waivers. Additionally, the Twins optioned infielder Travis Blankenhorn.

The 27-year-old Lin has seen big league time with the Red Sox in each of the past four seasons, appearing at three infield spots (second base, shortstop, third base) and batting .223/.298/.316 through 218 trips to the plate. Lin hit .300/.440/.600 in 25 spring plate appearances after signing a minor league deal with the Twins and will get his first chance at the MLB level with a club other than Boston.

April 22: The Twins will place first baseman Miguel Sano on the 10-day injured list Friday because of a strained right hamstring, Megan Ryan of the Star Tribune reports. The team will also recall outfielder Alex Kirilloff and infielder Nick Gordon, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

Sano suffered the injury on Tuesday, forcing him to miss the second game of the Twins’ doubleheader against the Athletics. The IL placement is the latest negative development in what has been a rough start to the season for Sano, who has batted .111/.310/.244 with two home runs and a career-low .133 ISO (down from a lifetime mark of .253) in 58 plate appearances. Sano has started the vast majority of the Twins’ games at first this year, but when he hasn’t played there, the team has used Willians Astudillo and Mitch Garver.

The 23-year-old Kirilloff, MLB.com’s 22nd-ranked prospect, appeared in two games and took three plate appearances earlier this season, but he may now get a more extensive look with outfielders Max Kepler and Kyle Garlick on the COVID-19 list. Since Minnesota took him 15th overall in the 2016 draft, Kirilloff has more than held his own in the minors with a .317/.365/.498 line and 36 home runs in 1,204 trips to the plate. He’s been ranked among the game’s best overall prospects for each of the past few seasons and made his MLB debut during the postseason last year.

Kirilloff’s impending promotion was a major factor in the Twins opting to move on from Eddie Rosario this winter, and it stands to reason that this promotion to the big leagues will now afford him the opportunity to seize an everyday role and cement his status as a long-term piece for the club. Even with last weekend’s brief promotion as the 27th man in a doubleheader, he’s spent enough time at the alternate site for the club to push his free agency back a year. If Kirilloff sticks in the big leagues from this point forth, the Twins will control him all the way through the 2027 season. He’d likely still qualify as a Super Two player, bringing him to arbitration eligibility after the 2023 campaign.

Gordon, 25, was the fifth pick in the 2014 draft, though his stock has fallen dramatically since then. Gordon did turn in a respectable .298/.342/.459 showing at Triple-A in 319 PA two years ago, but he was unable to play last season after testing positive for COVID. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen ranked Gordon as the Twins’ 37th-best prospect back in January, writing that he “now looks like a fringe role player.”

AL Injury Notes: Twins, Astros, Altuve, Taylor, Drake

By | at

The Twins saw Eddie Rosario, Trevor May, and Miguel Sano all leave Sunday’s 7-5 win over the Indians, though “everything does seem relatively mild” in regard to these injuries, manager Rocco Baldelli told Jace Frederick of the Pioneer Press and other reporters.  Rosario had perhaps the most overt injury, as an awkward collision with Byron Buxton during a Buxton catch left Rosario with what the team described as a left elbow contusion.  May left the game due to some minor back cramps, while Sano is dealing with a sore neck.  While none of the injuries seem like a big concern for now, it’s possible any or all of the trio could get a day off on Monday when the Twins begin a huge four-game series against the White Sox.  Obviously even brief absences wouldn’t be ideal for a Minnesota team that will want all hands on deck for a series that will factor so heavily in the AL Central race.

More injury updates from the American League…

  • The Astros have been hit hard by injuries this season, but two notable reinforcements could be on the way back.  Jose Altuve took some swings in the batting cage yesterday and left-hander Blake Taylor could begin throwing as early as today, manager Dusty Baker told reporters (including the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome).  Altuve was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right knee sprain on September 5, while Taylor hit the IL two days later with soreness in his throwing elbow.  Should both continue to recover with no setbacks, the players could be activated from the injured list for the Astros’ upcoming series against the Rangers, with Altuve eligible for activation tomorrow (a Houston off-day) and Taylor on Wednesday.
  • Rays right-hander Oliver Drake is set to be activated off the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and other media.  Drake has missed over a month of action due to right biceps tendinitis, and has tossed only 5 1/3 innings in 2020.  Drake was a standout performer out of Tampa’s bullpen in 2019, with a 3.21 ERA, 3.68 K/BB rate, and 11.3 K/9 over 56 innings.  The Rays are slowly starting to get some of their many injured hurlers back, though Drake is one of eight pitchers currently on the IL, several of whom are out with season-ending injuries.
  • After this look at the AL’s injury picture, check out this pack of National League injury notes from earlier today on MLBTR.

Miguel Sano Cleared To Re-Join Twins

By | at

Twins slugger Miguel Sano has been cleared to re-join the club’s Summer Camp, per a team announcement. He had previously tested positive for COVID-19.

There’s no indication that Sano is any worse for the wear after dealing with the coronavirus infection. Thankfully, he seems to have had a mild case and has obviously now twice tested negative for a continuing infection.

Sano, 27, is slated to move to first base this season to make way for incoming third bagger Josh Donaldson. If all goes as hoped, Sano will pick up where he left off last year, when he socked a career-high 34 home runs and ran up a .247/.346/.576 batting line in 439 plate appearances.

That big showing earned Sano an extension this spring. Fortunately, for his sake, the deal included only a $3MM salary for the 2020 season — the one that’ll be discounted due to the pandemic. He’s guaranteed a total of $23MM for the 2021-22 campaigns (including the buyout on a 2023 club option).

Willians Astudillo, Miguel Sano, Two Other Twins Test Positive For COVID-19

By | at

July 4: The Twins have revealed that Miguel Sano was the fourth player to have tested positive for the coronavirus, as reported by Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. As of yesterday, we were aware that Astudillo, Gordon, and Colina were among those who had received positive test results. Evidently, Sano is the fourth player who will be barred from participating in team activities until recording two negative tests. It’s worth mentioning that two other Twins, Cody Stashak and Byron Buxton, will also be absent from camp, but not for health-related reasons; both are on paternity leave.

July 3: Twins utilityman Willians Astudillo has tested positive for COVID-19, the Twins announced today. Dan Hayes of The Athletic was among those covering the news on Twitter.

Fortunately, it does not appear as if Astudillo has had a worrying reaction to the disease to this point. He’s said to be symptom-free at the moment.

The Twins reported three other players that have active coronavirus infections. Edwar Colina and Nick Gordon are among them, having previously tested positive. Both are in the 60-man player pool; Gordon is on the 40-man. Neither player has to this point debuted in the majors.

It would certainly be unfortunate should the Twins open the season without Astudillo. He’s one of the game’s most offbeat players — and not only because of his barrel-chested figure and high-energy approach to the game. Astudillo is not just bemusing but also legitimately interesting as a player, owing to his blend of positional versatility (including catcher, his primary position) and unusual proclivity to put the ball in play (career 2.3% walk rate, 3.7% strikeout rate). Though he was not as effective last season as in his brief 2018 debut, Astudillo was and is expected to be an important part of the Minnesota roster this year.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top