Twins minor league report: Hughes is finally healthy again

Luke Hughes is back in action for New Britain.

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: June 29, 2008 - 12:06 AM

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Class AA New Britain second baseman Luke Hughes should be at Class AAA Rochester by now. He could have been under consideration for a call-up when Twins middle infielders kept landing on the DL earlier in the year, but he has had bad luck with injuries of his own.

He was initially slowed by a strained hamstring in May. He recovered, then slammed his career-high 13th homer of the season June 3 and promptly reinjured the hamstring, then suffered a strained groin muscle during the comeback.

Hughes finally was activated late last week and has some catching up to do. He is hitting .333 with 13 home runs and 34 RBI with a .407 on-base percentage.

"I just hope this kid stays healthy,'' said Jim Rantz, Twins director of minor leagues.

Hughes really needs a good run of health now. In addition to a chance of getting to Rochester, Hughes, who is from Perth, Australia, has been selected to play for the world team at the All-Star Futures Game. And he's expected to be named to the Australian national team to compete in the Olympics in August.

Hughes has shot up the list of Twins prospects. He's considered a decent defensive player, but if he's going to start hitting for power -- he hit nine homers all of last season -- the Twins will give him a good look.

"He's not a big guy,'' Rantz said of Hughes, who is listed at 5-11 and 200 pounds, "but he has strength to his body. There's no way did I think he would hit 13 homers in such a short time frame. He was on pace to hit 30 or better.''

The last New Britain player to hit 30 homers was Garrett Jones in 2004.

System check

• Class A Beloit outfielder Christopher Parmelee, the Twins' first-round pick in the 2006 draft, will miss six weeks because of a broken left wrist. Parmelee, batting .239 (but with a .385 on-base percentage) with 14 homers and 49 RBI for Beloit, was injured when he crashed into an outfield wall Wednesday.

Parmelee's teammate, outfielder Joe Benson, will miss two weeks because of a stress fracture in his back. Benson, a second-round pick in 2006, is batting .248 with four homers and 27 RBI.

• Class A Fort Myers reliever Anthony Slama entered Saturday night having pitched 11 2/3 scoreless innings with three walks and 21 strikeouts. His fastball has been clocked at 90-93 miles per hour, but he dominates with a hard slider. Overall, Slama was 3-0 with a 0.43 ERA in 28 appearances.

• Two days after returning to the lineup after missing all but two games last season because of knee surgery, Beloit shortstop Paul Kelly landed back on the disabled list because of a strained hamstring.

• After going 1-4 with a 7.75 ERA in 22 games at New Britain, righthander Jay Sawatski has been moved back to Fort Myers.

• Lefthander Mariano Gomez has an 0.79 ERA over his past 11 appearances for Rochester and is 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA overall. The Twins will have a tough decision to make at the end of the year when they discuss whether he should be protected on the 40-man roster.

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