Catcher Joe Mauer was officially reinstated Monday and is expected to be back in the starting lineup Tuesday when the Twins begin their series against Kansas City.
Mauer left the Twins during last week's West Coast road trip to be present for the birth of his twin daughters and was placed on the league's three-day paternity leave list. Mauer decided to spend two extra days with his expanded family — the twins were born five weeks premature — instead of joining the team in Seattle on Saturday. He was moved to the restricted list, as per league rules, and was not paid for the final two games of the series. The Twins went 4-3 against the Angels and Mariners without Mauer, winning two games in extra innings.
"It was good that he had the opportunity to stay close to his family," Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said. "Having him back will be a welcome sight as well."
According to Ryan, everything is going well with the expanded Mauer family.
About Sano
Ryan cleared up a few details last week about the four-game benching of top prospect Miguel Sano, who took 30 seconds to run the bases after hitting a home run last Tuesday at Class AA New Britain.
Ryan was in the stands at the time, along with special assistant Paul Molitor and minor league field coordinator Joel Lepel. No one in the group was happy.
But Ryan said he did not talk to Sano immediately following the game.
"Our manager [Jeff Smith] and people in the dugout addressed it with him in the dugout," Ryan said. "The next day I went back and we sat him down and Jeff decided that this is what we are going to do. I didn't have to get him. There were more people ahead in line than me."
The two didn't have a private conversation until Thursday, when Sano wanted to ask Ryan a question about winter ball. Ryan said he then briefly addressed what happened Tuesday.
While Ryan was disappointed in Sano's actions, he said the organization is not trying to suppress his personality.
"Anyone who has talked to him, you have talked to him, he has a wonderful personality," Ryan said. "He has a lot of charisma and a lot of things people enjoy."
But when told the Sano home run was on YouTube the next day, Ryan replied, "It was worse in person."
Etc.
• Twins outfielder Wilkin Ramirez (concussion) officially began his 20-day rehabilitation assignment Monday.
