Yohan Pino was sent back to Class AAA Rochester, as required under the rule that dictates the designated "26th man" in a doubleheader be returned to the minors. But the righthander won't actually be traveling to upstate New York. In fact, he probably won't pitch again this season.
Pino, 30, experienced discomfort in his right elbow during the third inning of his Game 1 start Saturday, and the Twins sent him for a magnetic resonance imaging exam. It uncovered inflammation in his ulnar collateral ligament, a relatively minor injury, but one that will prevent him from throwing a baseball for two to four weeks, according to Rob Antony.
"There's no reason to send him back to Rochester when he can't pitch. So he'll rehab here," said Antony, the Twins assistant general manager. The minor league regular season ends next Monday.
Pino went 2-5 with a 5.07 ERA in 11 starts for the Twins and 10-2 with a 2.47 ERA for the Red Wings. "He was terrific in the minor leagues and he handled himself pretty well here," Antony said. "He doesn't blow you away with a fastball, but all four pitches could be plus pitches."
