Hardy to DL, Plouffe recalled
June 11, 2010
Shortstop JJ Hardy has been put on the 15-day disabled list once again due to soreness in his left wrist. This is the same injury that caused him to go on the DL earlier in May. Hardy returned to the lineup on May 25th but his wrist is starting to bother him again.
Hardy’s injury is being listed as a deep bone bruise and the irritation is being caused when the bruised bone rubs up against another bone during his batting swings. Doctors are unsure of how long it will take Hardy’s wrist to fully heal and estimated that it can take a couple of weeks or up to a month. Hardy will wear a brace to help the process along.
In Hardy’s absence, the Twins have opted to recall shortstop Trevor Plouffe from Triple-A. Plouffe spent a short time with the Twins earlier this season playing three games in an interleague series against Hardy’s former team, the Milwaukee Brewers.
Plouffe went 3-for-13 during the series for a .231 batting average and picked up a double and three RBI. Five of the 13 at bats, however, ended with a strike out, including the final at bat with the bases loaded in a 4-3 loss.
Hardy’s move to the disabled list is retroactive to June 7th.
Hudson to DL
June 9, 2010
Orlando Hudson has been retroactively placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a wrist injury. Hudson suffered the injury to his left wrist after colliding with Denard Span on the last play of the game against the Texas Rangers on May 30th. Hudson is able to come off of the DL on June 15th.
It was originally feared that the damage was severe on his surgically repaired wrist, but an MRI and a CT scan revealed no new injuries. Hudson’s recovery process has been slow, though, and the Twins feel Hudson will need a little more time to fully recover.
Placing Hudson on the DL also opened a roster spot for Michael Cuddyer, who is coming back from after being placed on the family bereavement list. This option also lets the Twins keep Danny Valencia and Matt Tolbert on the roster as JJ Hardy is still suffering from a sore wrist.
Neshek activated and sent to AAA
June 7, 2010
Reliever Pat Neshek has been activated from the 15-day disabled list and sent down to Triple-A Rochester. Neshek, who missed the majority of the past two seasons due to injury, was battling with a sore flexor tendon in his throwing hand at the end of April. He was placed on the DL on May 2nd.
Neshek made six appearances with the club this season giving up two earned runs over 4.1 innings of work for a 4.15 ERA. Both of his earned runs came off his last appearance where he walked and hit the only two batters he faced. Neshek found himself on the disable list four days later as the Twins when with a short pitching staff to bring up Wilson Ramos.
Ron Gardenhire stated that Neshek would have to pitch his way back on to the 25-man roster. “When there’s a need, he’ll get an opportunity – if he’s the one throwing the ball good,” said Gardenhire.
Casilla has elbow surgery
June 5, 2010
Alexi Casilla has gone through successful arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow. The infielder opted to have surgery as it was affecting his swing and very little progress was being made while taking anti-inflammatory medication.
If everything goes well, Casilla will return from surgery in four to eight weeks. Casilla was place on the 15-day disabled list on May 31st due to the bone spur and Matt Tolbert was called up to take his place on the 25-man roster.
“Lexi’s surgery went good. They got everything cleared up. Now, it will take a little while to see how long it will take him to get back,” Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire said about the surgery.
Ken Griffey Jr. retires
June 3, 2010
The Seattle Mariners announced prior to Wednesday night’s game against the Minnesota Twins that Ken Griffey Jr. has decided to retire from baseball after 22 seasons. Griffey wasn’t on hand during Wednesday game but the Mariners honored their All-Star center fielder by putting the number 24 in the dirt behind second base to signify the end of a legacy.
Griffey will no doubt be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee, an induction he is more than worthy of earning. He currently holds the fifth spot in all-time home runs with a total of 630 and although he played through the steroid era in baseball, his name was clear from rumors and has never been linked to them.
Of his 630 home runs Griffey hit, a total of 42 of them were against the Twins and was the most he hit against any single team. All home runs considered, though, Griffey went out quietly against the Twins in his final at bat as a pinch hitter. He hit into a force out at second against closer Jon Rauch in the ninth inning.
Ken Griffey Jr. is one of the rare baseball players that comes around every so often that has unlimited potential. His career has been legendary and his name will permanently be inked in the history books. Griffey has said goodbye to baseball, but it will take a long while for baseball and its fans to say goodbye to Griffey.
Danny Valencia called up
June 3, 2010
The Twins have called up one of their top prospects, Danny Valencia, from Triple-A to the 25-man roster. Valencia will take the spot left by Michael Cuddyer who was placed on the family bereavement list as his father-in-law passed away.
The club did not have another outfield option on the 40-man roster so the Twins decided to take a chance with Valencia. With Orlando Hudson being listed as day-to-day with his wrist injury, this gives the Twins an option to put Valencia at third while moving Nick Punto to second base. Valencia will also give the Twins another right handed bat in the left handed heavy lineup.
Valencia has played in 48 games while in Rochester this season with a .292 batting average with 15 doubles and 24 RBI. Surprisingly, though, Valencia has yet to hit a home run this year. He will make his MLB debut Thursday night against the Seattle Mariners.
Casilla to DL, Tolbert recalled
June 1, 2010
Alexi Casilla has been placed on the 15-day disabled list due to a bone spur in his right elbow. The Twins have called up utility infielder Matt Tolbert to take his place on the roster.
Casilla has been battling with the bone spur and has been taking anti-inflammatory medication but the progress has been slow. Casilla will meet with doctors to go over options but may end up having arthroscopic surgery to remove the spur. If they opt to go ahead with the surgery, Casilla will most likely be on the shelf for at least four weeks. Casilla has said the bone spur is affecting his swing.
The recall for Matt Tolbert marks the second time he has been placed on the 25-man roster this season. Tolbert was originally called up once JJ Hardy was placed on the DL on May 11th. Tolbert played in three games during his short stint with the Twins going 1-for-4. His sole hit came during the 6-3 victory over the Yankees, which he hit off of Sergio Mitre.
Due to Casilla’s injury, the Twins found themselves shorthanded in the infield once Orlando Hudson suffered a wrist injury on Sunday night. The Twins put Michael Cuddyer at second base for the time being, allowing Brendan Harris to be in a utility role. The addition of Tolbert will give the Twins a few more options while Hudson is recovering from his wrist injury.
Hudson to rejoin team in Seattle
May 31, 2010
After a scare on Sunday night, Orlando Hudson will rejoin the Twins on the road in Seattle on Tuesday.
Hudson and Denard Span collided in the final out of Sunday night’s game against the Texas Rangers to complete a 3-game sweep of the AL West opponent. It wasn’t all happiness for the Twins, though, as two of their players were lying on the ground. Hudson took the worst part of the collision and it was feared that the second baseman may have reinjured in surgically repaired left wrist.
X-rays on the wrist were inconclusive, so Hudson had a CT scan done on Monday to take a further look at it. Results of that showed nothing new and Hudson has been able to move the wrist more. Manager Ron Gardenhire doesn’t know how long Hudson will be on the shelf, but feels that Hudson will let them know when he is ready.
For the time being, Michael Cuddyer is filling in a second base, reprising a role that he hasn’t started in since 2005.
Hardy activated from DL, Plouffe sent down
May 26, 2010
Shortstop JJ Hardy has been activated from the disabled list while his replacement, Trevor Plouffe, has been sent back to Rochester.
Hardy bruised his wrist in the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers on May 4th. Hardy scored the winning run off a wild pitch but injured his hand after sliding into third base with a one-out triple. Since then, Hardy has changed the way he slides into bases to avoid having the injury happen again, including wearing a brace on the base paths.
Plouffe was brought up to start the weekend interleague series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Plouffe got off to a hot start in his Major League debut, picking up two hits, including a double, and knocking in two runs while scoring one. He cooled off the next two games and recorded the final out of the 4-3 loss against the Brewers and going 3-for-13. Overall, though, the Twins were impressed by the 23 year old.
Plouffe called up, Manship sent down
May 21, 2010
Trevor Plouffe has been called up to the Twins roster while Jeff Manship has been optioned down to Triple-A. Plouffe will fill in the spot that was left open with JJ Hardy being on the disabled list. Hardy’s wrist has been slow to heal and will not be activated in time to face his former team, the Milwaukee Brewers, in interleague play this weekend.
Plouffe is a natural shortstop, which is an upgrade from the spot utility infield duties shared by Brendan Harris, Alexi Casilla or Matt Tolbert when he is on the active roster. Plouffe was a first round draft pick by the Twins in 2004 and has had a hot streak this year in Rochester, hitting .303 in 38 games with 11 doubles, three triples, four home runs and 21 RBI.
Plouffe became the best option for the Twins as Luke Hughes is on the disabled list and Matt Tolbert is still in his 10-day holding period after being sent back down to Triple-A. The move marks the first time Plouffe has been a part of the Major League roster and will wear number 24.
Jeff Manship was sent down to Triple-A to make room for Plouffe. The Twins went short handed on the bench during their two game series against the Boston Red Sox to allow for 13 pitchers as their bullpen overused against the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. In his short stint with the team, Manship made one appearance out of the bullpen giving up one run off of one hit over 1.1 innings.
