PHILADELPHIA - Three games in, and Nelson Cruz has not been found in the starting lineup.
I saw him in the clubhouse this morning and asked him to remind me of what his swing looks like. He laughed and said he'd send me a video from the batting cage.
At least he's in good spirits. He brought a glove on the trip and is ready to play in the outfield when needed. And he said on Friday that there was a plan in place for him to start a game.
"I know I'll play in the outfield at some point," he said at the time, "but I don't know where. So I'll leave that to Rocco."
With the Twins needing a win today to take the three-game series, it seems a little odd that Cruz wouldn't get a chance to start. But I also have to remember that there's a good reason why Cruz is a designated hitter.
That makes it tricky to use him in the field in interleague games like today's.
"We're not going to hesitate to use him," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "These are kind of good days for not just Nelson but a lot of our guys. These National League games. One we've seen the impact guys have coming off the bench and how many guys are out of games in the fourth or fifth or sixth inning. In an ideal spot we could definitely see Nelson come in and impacting these games."
We have some injury updates.
