Trevor May

Fandom: The Reason I Do It, Every Day

By Trevor May | August 29, 2017 at 10:37am CDT

This is the third installment from Twins right-hander Trevor May in MLBTR’s Player’s Perspective series. We at MLBTR are fortunate to have him share his thoughts and experiences as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. You can check out his first two posts and also submit questions for an upcoming Mailbag hosted by Trevor: trevormayofficial@gmail.com.

It’s been a hot minute since my last post (writing is hard!), so let’s dive right into entry #3, which covers a topic that unites you (reader) and me (writer), while also providing the very foundation for a cool website like MLB Trade Rumors: Fandom.

Do you remember in my first post when I mentioned that every single situation in life has a silver lining? I not only believe this — I actually spend considerable time in my day-to-day life making sure I seek out, identify and appreciate these silver linings. This rehab process has provided me with a whole bunch of silver linings, the most impactful of which might just be the rediscovery of my own personal fandom for the game of baseball.

There is a perception across the baseball community that a thick, bold line divides players and fans…and that is mostly (and unfortunately) true. That said, while all fans will not have the opportunity to take the Target Field mound in front of 40,000 screaming people, I think it’s important for you guys to know that every single player carries his own unique memories of when he first felt love for this wonderful game. And we all — players, fans, kids, adults alike — still have moments that bring us back to our sacred baseball roots. I had one recently.

Screen goes all wavy, flashback style. “Several weeks ago…” comes into view… then fades.

It really hit me unexpectedly. I was streaming “MLB the Show” on Twitch, a game that, as you can imagine, brings a majority of baseball fans into the channel. I use this time as opportunity to focus discussion around baseball, to make myself available to questions and answer them en masse. It was the day of the Home Run Derby, my teammate Miguel Sano was participating, and I decided that I could extend the stream a little and watch the competition with the viewers.

Man, was it a blast.

In the last few years, I’ve not watched the All-Star festivities much at all. Those four days were for mental and physical rest, a complete removal from baseball. This year, having been benched by Tommy John surgery, I wanted to watch. I wanted to feel excitement, root for my guy, my teammate, as a FAN.

It’s a crazy thing, the difference between rooting as a fan and and rooting as member of the team. It takes you back to the times as a wide-eyed 10-year-old watching Griffey go deep over and over again toward his eventual 1999 Home Run Derby triumph. I even got to interact, in real-time, with a bunch of baseball fans rooting for their own heroes. I had a perspective that I hadn’t had in quite a while.

I have so much gratitude for the opportunities I’ve had, for everything I’ve learned and overcome in my journey from a small town in southwest Washington to the Big Leagues. It’s easy to lose that perspective, especially when baseball has been your job for 10 years. But, as I keep saying, there are always silver linings (I’m probably at the point that this sentence should be tattooed on me somewhere). Surgery has allowed me to see the game through fans’ eyes with clarity once again. I just want to go into the back yard like I used to on those warm summer nights of my youth, and practice my windup. Bottom of the ninth, two outs, perfect game on the line. I cannot wait to get back on that field.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch for updates on all of that and, of course, for great conversation!

Trevor will be opening up the mailbag for his next post at MLB Trade Rumors. If you’ve got a question for him, email it to trevormayofficial@gmail.com!

Central Notes: Twins, Lopez, Winker, Reds

By Jeff Todd and Steve Adams | August 2, 2017 at 11:19pm CDT

A pair of Twins pitchers are set to resume throwing tomorrow, according to statements from each via Twitter. Righty Trevor May, who is contributing at MLBTR while working back from Tommy John surgery, says he will begin his march back in earnest. That drew a reply from southpaw Hector Santiago, who says he’ll do the same; he has been out for nearly a month with what the team called upper thoracic back pain and discomfort. There’s no expectation that May will return during the 2017 season, as his procedure took place this March. But Santiago conceivably could. The 29-year-old has every incentive to do just that, as he’s slated to hit the market this fall and would surely like a chance to improve upon the subpar results he has produced during his time in Minnesota.

More from the game’s Central divisions…

While the Twins had some other possible trade chips to move, the team never came close to making any deals beyond those it completed, assistant GM Rob Antony tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). There was little in the way of rumors surrounding shorter-term assets like Ervin Santana, Brian Dozier or Eduardo Escobar prior to the deadline, so perhaps the team’s preference was simply to engage with other clubs on impending free agents such as Jaime Garcia and Brandon Kintzler. Speculatively speaking, righty Matt Belisle could be a name to watch in August. He’s playing on an eminently affordable one-year, $2.05MM deal and rebounded from an awful month of May with a solid June and a scoreless 12 2/3 frames (with a 13-to-2 K/BB ratio) in July.
White Sox prospect Reynaldo Lopez, acquired in the offseason Adam Eaton trade, is forcing his way into the team’s big league plans, general manager Rick Hahn tells Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago. “He’s forcing the issue,” said Hahn. “He’s had several starts in a row that have been very impressive.” Indeed, Lopez has turned in a 2.16 ERA with a 54-to-11 K/BB ratio in his past 41 2/3 innings. Hahn also offered praise for Lucas Giolito’s recent work, though those numbers are skewed by a pair of drubbings in an otherwise solid run of 11 starts. Lopez recently appeared on the latest installment of Jason Martinez’s “Knocking Down the Door” series here at MLBTR and seems to be nearing his first Major League look with the ChiSox.
Reds outfield prospect Jesse Winker, who was recalled from Triple-A this week, is in line for regular playing time in the Majors now, per Zach Buchanan of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). The Reds tabbed Winker with the 49th overall pick in the 2012 draft, and he’s been considered among the game’s top 100 or so prospects for much of the past three years. Winker had a cup of coffee earlier this season but returned to Triple-A in short order, where he ultimately put together a .314/.395/.408 showing. Wrist injuries have led to a power outage for Winker over the past two seasons, but he looks to be regaining some of the pop he showed from 2013-15, as he’s homered in consecutive games for the Reds (including tonight).
Buchanan also provides some updates on a trio of injured Reds players in a full column. Outfielder Scott Schebler, whose absence has helped create an opening for Winker, was diagnosed with a bruised rotator cuff following an MRI exam. He’s out for at least the next two to three weeks, per Buchanan. Injured righty Scott Feldman, meanwhile, threw a three-inning simulated game today, though the timeline on his return to the Majors isn’t yet clear. And second base prospect Dilson Herrera, who had a bone spur removed from his shoulder recently, will be cleared to begin throwing in three to four months. Buchanan’s column has more quotes and context from manager Bryan Price and Reds team doctor Timothy Kremchek, so Reds fans should take a look for more details.

Navigating Life Post-Surgery: When Your Right Arm and Left Leg Don’t Work

By Trevor May | June 23, 2017 at 12:24pm CDT

It’s the second installment of the Trevor May MLB Trade Rumors experience y’all, let’s get to it! (Those who missed the first one can check it out here.) Before I get into the meat of my “week of woe” post-surgery guide, let me start with some good news:

I was on a mound the other day! Well, kind of. No arm motions yet, but footwork was on point. And, as you can imagine, I looked cool as hell.
Those boys in Minnesota can play some baseball! Two games over .500 and right in the division hunt. As someone who is able to witness the combination of talent, work ethic and character on a daily basis, take my word when I tell you that special things are happening.

Moving on! Anyone who has had major surgery knows that life is a little bit more difficult when you wake up. Tommy John is no exception. There’s a lot that you may already assume, like “everything hurts,” pain meds that leave you loopy, and leaving in wheelchairs. (I’m sure many of you are imagining this.)

Tommy John surgery, the gift that keeps on giving, checks all of these boxes, but there’s plenty you may not know. For example, the first location for the IV was my hand. This did not work. Ten minutes on the table, my hand is already swollen. When I woke up from surgery on March 20 in my woefully under-sized hospital gown (no, I won’t prove it), the nurse asked me how I feel.

“Yeah my arm is sore, but my knee is KILLLLLLLLING ME!”

Medical context (Warning: I am not a doctor and am only 40% sure that I’ve accurately spelled the words in the following paragraph. Time to test the surprisingly friendly MLBTR editors!):

In order to repair your ulnar collateral ligament, the ligament must be replaced by another healthy piece of connective tissue from somewhere else in your body. Commonly, the tendon used is from one of your wrists. Unfortunately, some of us don’t possess that option. Like me. Option two then becomes a harvest of your gracilis tendon, which wraps from the front of your knee to the hamstring. I’ve been told it regenerates to some extent, like a salamander’s tail. Cool!

Well folks, NOT cool. The knee is far and away the suckiest part of the surgery. I fancy myself a tough hombre, but being rendered unable to move myself was new. No stair is easy, no car is accessible, no bed is comfortable.

So, having had the experience, I’ve designed my own guide to Navigating Life Post-Surgery: When Your Right Arm and Left Leg Don’t Work.

Brushing your teeth. Invest in a Sonicare or some other type of electric toothbrush and practice using it for some time before surgery.
Showering. You’re not allowed to get your incisions wet, so invest in a nice, high-quality roll of plastic wrap and trash bags. (Glad works well and smells nice! *Thumbs up*) Also, it helps to have a low expectations for what you’re going to be able to reach. Just do your best.
Stairs. Try not to count them. Just take it one step at a time, leading with your immobile leg. The good leg is better for pushing off. This applies to descending stairs as well.
Putting on Socks. Well, I cheated. My wife did it for me. Invest in slip-ons that don’t need socks (New Balance makes some solid options). As always, take your time.
Combing/Styling your hair. I have two new hats. Lululemon to the rescue.
Eating. Chopsticks are out, anything handheld is in. This might have been the best part. Seriously, I had Culver’s like, six times.

Note: If you know anyone at these companies, I know a guy that is fairly shameless and loves making commercials. *Wink*

These six things, approached correctly, keep life moving right after surgery. Here I am, 13 weeks out, typing all of this out a full speed (24 words per minute). Heck, I ran for 30 minutes yesterday! Improvement is a daily phenomenon, and the process is in full swing. One finally-not-so-painful step at a time.

Let me finish with a short off-field update. I’ve recently formed two companies that are going to revolutionize E-Sports analytics. I’m also working to build several tournament series for competitive gamers to begin increasing their income, and I have several charity events planned involving both gaming and baseball! On the charity side of things, the next step will be a live-streamed marathon of MLB: The Show, where I challenge five players to take on me and the Twins! More details on that are here for those that are interested.

You can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Twitch for updates on all of that and, of course, for great conversation!

Tommy John Surgery Sucks, But Maybe Not As Much As You Think

By Trevor May | May 25, 2017 at 8:30pm CDT

After nearly a decade of climbing up professional baseball’s totem pole, the 14-hour bus rides, the exceptionally poor minor-league shower water pressure, a MLB debut, a pennant race, I have finally reached the pinnacle…. you’re looking at MLB Trade Rumors’ newest employee! Don’t let your dreams be dreams, kids.

My name is Trevor May, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share my thoughts/stories with you every few weeks. They say that every negative situation has a silver lining; that we have to find the positives after a setback. Well, I had a professional setback, and finding new ways to connect with fans over the last few months has been one heck of a silver lining. Let me take a quick step back and tell you how I got here:

On March 8th, I started the Twins’ exhibition game against Team USA before they went off to compete at the World Baseball Classic. I felt an abnormal tweak in my forearm muscle on a 0-2 curveball to Andrew McCutchen. What was that? I took a step off the mound, gathered myself, and proceeded to throw three consecutive balls for my first walk of the day.

I got the ball back from the catcher, gripped it tightly and told myself, “You have two options: come out of this game or gut it out.” I threw the next 40 pitches with everything I had, and left the game with a very real sense of accomplishment — I made it through the outing. After spending more than three months the previous year on the DL with a mysterious back issue, seeing my offseason work pay off was a damn good feeling. My elbow though? Not so much. Torn UCL.

I knew it was torn two days later when routine soreness was replaced with consistent, jolting pain. Imagine hitting your funny bone, and that feeling just not going away. This meant it was time for my favorite activity: cram into a tube most certainly not designed for a 6’5″, 240-pound frame and lay on my arm for 45 minutes until it goes to sleep, all the while enjoying consistent, ear-shattering noise. Wait, I meant getting an MRI. Pro Tip: just, like, avoid MRIs.

“A complete tear, surgery is recommended.”

Well, damn.

Injuries suck, guys. There’s nothing in the world that I want more than to be on that field with my teammates. But sometimes, life wants to punch you square in the jaw, and all you can do is wear it, bring your gloves back up and throw one right back. Mike Tyson Punchout style. Fix it, move on. I can’t live my dream on the field this year, but I can still live it off the field. And, I’m already amazing at rehab, so this is cake.

Silver linings, friends.

I’m a professional baseball player rehabbing his elbow, a partnered Twitch Streamer, a DJ, a Social Media connoisseur, an E-Sports Entrepreneur, a gaming tournament organizer and commentator, and obviously an exceptional writer. I am Trevor May, and this is my year after Tommy John surgery.

To be continued…

Trevor May To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

By Steve Adams | March 21, 2017 at 8:51pm CDT

TODAY: May will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow, the righty announced himself via his Twitter feed (hat tip to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo).

MARCH 11: Twins right-hander Trevor May has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, per Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He’s slated to receive a second opinion next week, Berardino adds, but certainly Tommy John surgery is now a strong possibility for the 27-year-old.

It’s dejecting news for the Twins and for May, who was in competition to reclaim a spot in the Twins’ rotation after spending the past season and a half in the bullpen. Originally acquired in the trade that sent Ben Revere to the Phillies, May had a solid first half of the 2015 season in the Twins’ rotation before moving to a setup role when Glen Perkins went down with an injury. May thrived in that bullpen role in 2015 but struggled in the same role last season, missing significant time due to back injuries.

May totaled just 44 2/3 innings out of the Twins’ bullpen last season due to the aforementioned back issues, pitching to a 5.00 ERA but posting an impressive 60-to-17 K/BB ratio while averaging 93.9 mph on his fastball. A year prior, May logged a 4.43 ERA in 83 1/3 innings as a starter but delivered a much more encouraging 3.35 FIP and 3.96 xFIP. Upon shifting to the ’pen in July, May turned in a 2.87 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 31 1/3 innings to finish out the season.

Earlier this spring, May suggested to Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the move to a relief role might’ve adversely impacted his health. Now, in the wake of this latest, devastating injury, that question will be up for even further debate. The injury, it seems, occurred during May’s most recent start, when he tossed 3 2/3 innings against Team USA’s World Baseball Classic lineup. As May explains (video link via Berardino), he felt a “grab” in his elbow on a single pitch. “I downplayed it in my head,” said May. “I thought it was some tightness in my flexors, something I’ve felt before.” May went on to throw another 34 pitches after the initial “grab” and felt continued soreness the following day, which prompted an MRI.

It’s of course possible, albeit unlikely, that May can avoid Tommy John surgery. We’ve seen pitchers such as Masahiro Tanaka and Garrett Richards opt for platelet-rich plasma injections and stem cell injections in recent years and avoid the operation. And, depending on the extent of the tear, May could be a candidate for the “primary repair” surgery that Seth Maness underwent last August. However, any of those treatments could very well sideline May for the entire season anyhow, perhaps making the more traditional Tommy John route the most logical course of action.

The loss of May means that the competition for the fifth spot in the Twins’ rotation will now come down to Jose Berrios, Tyler Duffey, Adalberto Mejia and, perhaps, non-roster invitees Ryan Vogelsong and Nick Tepesch.

Minnesota still controls May through the 2020 campaign, so he could play an important role in future Twins clubs should he make a full recovery. May will presumably spend the entire 2017 season on the 60-day disabled list and accrue a full year of service time, making him eligible for arbitration next winter.

Pitcher Notes: Hellickson, Urias, Straily, May

By Connor Byrne | February 26, 2017 at 5:00pm CDT

Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson’s November decision to accept the Phillies’ qualifying offer in lieu of testing free agency came as a surprise, but he believes it was the correct choice. “I feel like I made the right decision,” Hellickson told Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com earlier this month. “And seeing how it all went down, I definitely feel like I made the right decision.” Only three free agent starters – Rich Hill ($48MM), Ivan Nova ($26MM) and Edinson Volquez ($22MM) – ended up scoring deals worth more than Hellickson’s $17.2MM qualifying offer during the winter, and each did so via two- or three-year deals. Hellickson was actually eager to join them in a weak market before receiving advice from his agent, Scott Boras “The first few days I was set on declining it,” Hellickson said of the QO. “There really wasn’t too much stress involved. But then after hearing from Scott after the (GM Meetings), I didn’t know what I was going to do.” Ultimately, the market developed as Boras expected it to, per Hellickson, who added that he’s content in Philly and “glad” the Marlins’ attempt to acquire him last summer failed.

The latest on a few other pitchers:

While the possibility of the Dodgers stashing Julio Urias in extended spring training to begin the year has come up, they’re now “leaning toward” having the left-hander open the season in their rotation, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. In that scenario, the 20-year-old wunderkind would make shorter starts to tamp down his workload, per Gurnick. Including postseason play, Urias tossed a career-high 127 2/3 innings between the majors and minors last year.
Marlins righty Dan Straily enjoyed perhaps the best season of his career last year, when the then-Red totaled 191 1/3 frames of 3.76 ERA ball with 7.62 K/9 and 3.43 BB/9, and he attributes much of his 2016 success to analytics, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. One of Straily’s friends, a banking analytics specialist who “loves baseball,” helped the 28-year-old determine “which are the best pitches to throw against certain hitters.” Straily also studied one pitcher per division with similar velocity, spin rate and spin angles. “Now going into the game, there’s not a lot of guesswork,” Straily told Jackson. “I have a plan. I had a big change in terms of pitch selection more than anything else. I threw way more changeups last year. Just mixing speeds a lot more; not being predictable.”
After working mostly as a reliever from 2015-16, including all of last season, Twins righty Trevor May is ready to leave the bullpen behind and win a starting job this spring. “I think I have a little bit of a chip, being unclear about knowing what I was going to be doing the last two years,” May, 27, told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “It wasn’t ideal for me or the vision I had for myself of my career. I’m going at it at 100 percent. There’s no, ’Oh, I could fall back to the bullpen.'” May, who has logged a 5.61 ERA (3.85 FIP), 8.17 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 126 2/3 career innings as a starter, is competing against several other candidates for a rotation spot, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams detailed Friday.

Twins Rumors: Relievers, Morneau, Napoli, May, Vogelsong

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | January 30, 2017 at 4:55pm CDT

The Twins have been said to be on the hunt for bullpen help in recent days, and La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that right-hander Joe Blanton and left-hander Boone Logan are both on the the team’s radar. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, meanwhile, tweets that Minnesota has had some talks with Jerry Blevins’ camp as well. While any of the three veterans would serve as an upgrade to a Twins relief corps that is rife with question marks, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press hears that the Twins aren’t likely to sign a reliever to a multi-year deal. If that’s the case, it may be difficult for the team to reel in any of the three listed targets from Neal and Wolfson. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal recently reported that both Logan and Blevins could very well land two-year deals worth $12MM+, and Blanton remains a candidate for a multi-year deal as well. Berardino does note that the Twins are intrigued by lefty Craig Breslow’s recent workout and new arm slot.

While there’s been mutual interest reported between the Twins and former cornerstone Justin Morneau, Neal reports within his column that talks between Minnesota and Morneau’s camp weren’t especially productive, and the sides each came away feeling like there’s no current fit on the roster for the 35-year-old former MVP. Neal also suggests that while there’s been some interest in Mike Napoli, the bullpen might be a bigger priority right now. Berardino’s above-linked column, meanwhile, notes that Napoli is expected to sign elsewhere.
Right-hander Trevor May has spent much of the past two seasons pitching in relief (including all of his injury-shortened 2016 campaign), but the new Twins front office would like to see the once-well-regarded pitching prospect move back to the rotation in 2017, writes Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. May says he feels “normal” again after dealing with significant back issues in 2016, and believes that “pitching with a set routine” on regular rest will help him keep it that way. “I’m not saying I have to have an amazing spring, by any means,” May said of earning a spot in the MLB rotation, “but I have to show I’m ready to go. I have a starter’s mind-set that I can throw all my pitches right away. … If the health is there, I feel like I can slide in there.”
Berardino also provides details on the minor-league deal between the organization and veteran righty Ryan Vogelsong. He’ll earn at a $1MM base rate in the majors. And the 39-year-old could take home up to $2.5MM if he earns and keeps a rotation spot for most of the year (30 starts), or as much as $1MM if he’s a stalwart in the pen (55 appearances, available in $200K increments). Though Vogelsong can opt out just before the start of the season, he won’t have any later opt-out opportunities if he ends up opening the year in the minors.

Trevor May Diagnosed With Stress Fracture In Back

By Jeff Todd | September 21, 2016 at 9:15pm CDT

Twins righty Trevor May has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press reports. His specific condition was diagnosed as a “pars defect” by specialist Dr. Robert Watkins.

It seems that the injury has been present for some time, with Watkins telling May that it had already undergone “cycles of healing” that never completed. “I just kept pitching on it and probably shouldn’t have,” said May. “It was an injury that was a little more serious than I thought it was.”

The 26-year-old said that he anticipates that an offseason of rest will cure the ailment, which is apparently similar to what Lucas Duda has struggled to return from this year. In May’s case, the hope is that he can rest for the remainder of the calendar year before undergoing a strength program and beginning to throw early in 2017.

May has shown plenty of promise despite an unsightly 5.27 ERA in 42 2/3 innings. Working exclusively from the bullpen, he has racked up 12.7 K/9 (with a 13.2% swinging strike rate) against 3.6 BB/9 while sitting at nearly 94 mph with his average fastball.

Home runs have been a problem — May has allowed homers on 15.2% of his flyballs and at a clip of nearly one-and-a-half per nine innings — but the overall numbers seemingly bode well. Of course, there’s an argument to be made that he ought to be given a chance to stick in the rotation before a relief role is set in stone. Regardless the Twins seem to have a useful arm on hand so long as May can progress as hoped from the back issue.

AL Central Notes: Verlander, Molitor, May, Milone, Salazar, Cain

By Steve Adams and Jeff Todd | September 9, 2016 at 11:05pm CDT

In his latest column, Yahoo’s Jeff Passan chronicles Justin Verlander’s return to prominence as one of the game’s most dominant pitchers. Passan spoke to a very candid Verlander, who explained that during the 2014 season — the worst of his career — he felt pain in his shoulder through virtually every pitch he delivered. However, as Passan notes, Verlander was keenly aware of the expectations that came along with signing a $180MM contract and was resolved to pitch so long as he was physically capable. Verlander admitted to Passan that for awhile, baseball was no longer fun for him. The Detroit ace walked Passan through his recovery, beginning with recovery from surgery to repair a torn abdominal muscle (which was, perhaps the root of all of his problems, as his mechanics were drastically altered to compensate). As Passan points out, Verlander’s velocity is sitting around 93 mph, and he’s now throwing his slider harder than in the past as a means of differentiating it from his curve. The result is one of the finest stretches of Verlander’s career: a 2.09 ERA and a 102-to-19 K/BB ratio over his past 90 1/3 innings that has firmly inserted Verlander into the mix for the AL Cy Young Award.

Twins Place Phil Hughes, Trevor May On Disabled List

By Steve Adams | June 11, 2016 at 10:49am CDT

SATURDAY: Hughes has a fracture in his knee and will be out six to eight weeks, Phil Miller of the Star Tribune tweets.

FRIDAY: The Twins have placed right-handers Phil Hughes and Trevor May on the disabled list and, in a pair of corresponding moves, have activated fellow righty Kyle Gibson from the DL and promoted right-hander J.T. Chargois from Triple-A Rochester. Hughes lands on the DL with a left knee contusion suffered upon being struck by a line drive last night against the Marlins, whereas May is suffering from back spasms, per the team. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press first reported Chargois’ promotion.

While the 29-year-old Hughes will technically be placed on the DL due to the knee issue, it’s been more than a full season since Minnesota saw him at his best. Hughes initially signed a three-year, $24MM contract prior to the 2014 season and proceeded to have a breakout year, totaling 209 2/3 innings of 3.52 ERA ball with 7.98 K/9 against 0.69 BB/9. His 11.63 K-to-BB ratio was the best single-season mark posted by a starting pitcher in Major League history, and the Twins saw fit to reward his breakout with an additional three years and $42MM the following December. Hughes has been a different pitcher since that 2014 campaign, however, pitching to a combined 4.83 ERA with 5.4 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9.

Last season, he spent more than a month on the disabled list due to back issues, and his velocity has taken a notable hit in each season since the aforementioned breakout. After averaging better than 92 mph on his heater in 2014, Hughes averaged 90.7 mph in 2015 and has averaged just 90.5 mph in 2016. Whether it’s a dip in velocity, decreased precision from that historic ’14 season or some combination of the two that has led to Hughes’ rapid decline, he hasn’t given the Twins the type of performance they’d hoped upon extending him, and his regression has played a role in the team’s poor start to the 2016 campaign.

Regression from May, too, has plagued the Twins. The former top prospect and starter-turned-setup-man was a genuine weapon for the Twins upon a move from the rotation to the ’pen last season. May, 26, posted a 2.87 ERA in 31 1/3 relief innings for Minnesota last season to go along with a 37-to-8 K/BB ratio. He came out of the gates arguably even better in 2016, recording a 1.89 ERA with a 27-to-8 K/BB ratio through his first 19 innings, but he’s become exceptionally homer prone as of late, leading to dreadful results. Since May 13, the right-hander has been tagged for four homers in just 7 2/3 innings, resulting in a ghastly 16.43 ERA. All told, May has an unsightly 6.08 ERA in 26 2/3 innings this season. While homers have been the primary reason — his xFIP, which normalizes homer-to-flyball ratio, is a perfectly palatable 3.31 — it’s possible that May’s back spasms have prevented him from finishing pitches.

In Chargois, the Twins are promoting one of their most intriguing bullpen prospects. The former second-round pick’s journey to the Majors was slowed by Tommy John surgery, but he brings with him a fastball that can reach triple-digit velocity ratings and a highly impressive resume between Double-A and Triple-A. Chargois has totaled 24 innings between those two levels this season and posted a 1.12 ERA with a 34-to-9 K/BB ratio. Baseball America rated him 15th among Twins farmhands this offseason, calling more of a pitcher than a thrower in spite of his blistering velocity and offering some praise for his slider and changeup as well.

Gibson, 28, was rocked in his first four starts of the season and has been on the shelf since mid-April. If he’s healthy enough to resemble the 2015 version of himself — 3.84 ERA, 6.7 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 53.4 percent ground-ball rate — he’d be a boon to a Twins rotation that ranks last in the Majors in ERA (5.51), as it did in 2013 and 2014.

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