The decision to play Rondell White at designated hitter is a twist on recent history for the Twins. White, who has been on the disabled list since April 5 because of a strained right calf muscle, told team officials Sunday he'd prefer to return to the team as the DH, not in left field.
When White signed as a free agent in December 2005, it was with the intention that he would be the everday DH.
The DH experiment didn't work. White hit .194 with 34 strikeouts in 54 games. The team moved him to left field, where his hitting improved to .328.
"Right now he said he's a little more comfortable [playing as the DH] than he is playing in the field, which is a reversal," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I'm going to see what is the best way to use him and don't kill him."
Speedy delivery
Luis Castillo, who hails from the Dominican Republic, needed his resident visa to travel to Toronto, where the Twins begin a three-game road trip tonight.
One slight problem: Castillo left the visa at his Miami home.
So Castillo had a friend fly to the Twin Cities with the visa on Sunday. Castillo planned to pick it up at the airport before boarding the team charter.
Castillo said he invited his friend to spend a couple days in his Minneapolis apartment, but the friend had to get back to Miami.
"He's a good friend of mine," Castillo said. Good thing, he added, because "I don't want to go to [Class AAA] Rochester for a couple days."
The Twins had been reminding players since spring training to have their passports and other documentation ready for this road trip.
Redmond on the mend
Catcher Mike Redmond said his injured finger was progressing nicely. He injured the knuckle on his left middle finger during Thursday's game, but said he "popped it back in and kept playing."
The injury prevented him from gripping a bat properly for several days, but he said batting practice before Sunday's game showed major improvement.
"It felt a lot better swinging the bat [Sunday], much better than the last couple of days," he said. "I should be good to go in another day or so."
Perkins update
Lefthander Glen Perkins, on the DL since May 22 because of a strained left shoulder, will fly to Fort Myers, Fla., today to begin a 24-day rehab program. A recent setback in his recovery forced the team to create a strict, regimented plan that coaches and trainers will force him to stick to.
"I think he pushed the envelope himself and wanted to get going quicker," Gardenhire said. "So this way, rather than him doing a hostile takeover with some of our young trainers down there ... we're going to do it our way now."
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