Give the Twins and Fox Sports North credit. If the present is tough to watch, they are willing to give fans a glimpse of the future.
FSN on Monday will broadcast Class AA New Britain's game against Trenton, providing an opportunity for viewers to see two of the Twins' top prospects in third baseman Miguel Sano and second baseman Eddie Rosario. The Twins play host to the Mets at 1 p.m. Monday as the teams make up a rained-out game in April. The New Britain-Trenton game is scheduled to start at 6:05 p.m.
The Twins showed off prized prospect Byron Buxton earlier in the season in a similar matter.
"It is good for the fans to get to see some of these guys,'' said Brad Steil, Twins director of minor leagues. "They can see the boxscores and stat lines but never get to look at them on the field.''
Sano got off to a slow start at New Britain after being promoted from Class A Fort Myers. He also was benched for four games last month after admiring a home run. He's batting .241 with 14 homers and 43 RBI in 51 games with the Rock Cats. Overall, he's batting .289 with 30 homers and 91 RBI.
Rosario also has cooled off after his promotion. He is batting .284 with three homers and 25 RBI in 53 games with the Rock Cats. He hit .329 with six homers and 35 RBI in 52 games at Fort Myers.
Righthander B.J. Hermsen is scheduled to start on Monday, but the Twins might give the start to lefthander Pedro Hernandez, who is on a rehab assignment.
FSN will broadcast the feed from New Britain while FSN's Anthony LaPanta, former Twin Ron Coomer and former Twins manager Tom Kelly will provide play-by-play and analysis from the Twin Cities.
Worley's season over
Vance Worley, the Twins' Opening Day starter, will not pitch again this year because of continuing shoulder problems.
Worley hasn't pitched since July 7 because of soreness in his right shoulder. He would need two weeks to begin a throwing program and build up enough strength to return to the mound.
"We'll keep him in Fort Myers and get him back to where he will be able to do his normal throwing over the winter,'' Steil said. "Then [he'll] come to spring training ready to go.''
Worley went 6-3 with a 3.88 ERA in nine starts at Class AAA Rochester. He was 1-5 with a 7.21 ERA in 10 starts with the Twins, leading to his demotion in May.
Walker on the rise
Class A Cedar Rapids outfielder Adam Brett Walker is moving up the Kernels' record books. Walker entered the weekend with 104 RBI in 112 games, third on the club's all-time list. He is eight RBI shy of moving into second and 18 short of breaking Jack Tanner's record of 121 set in 1949.
Walker was drafted in the third round in 2012 after putting on an impressive power display during a pre-draft workout at Target Field.