Twins day at camp: May gets the news — he's headed for bullpen

Trevor May still is definitely, positively, unequivocally in the Twins' plans as a starting pitcher.

Just not this year.

The 26-year-old righthander was informed by manager Paul Molitor and pitching coach Neil Allen on Wednesday that they are removing him from the competition for rotation spots and moving him to the bullpen, where he thrived for the final three months of last season.

"The manager and the pitching coach [told him], 'OK, that's the way we're going to go,' " general manager Terry Ryan said. "I don't know if he's pleased, but he took it in the right way."

May had been promised an opportunity to pitch himself into the rotation, his preferred role, this spring, but it was always an unlikely prospect, no matter how May fared. The Twins have seven other candidates for five starting spots, and May proved too valuable last summer to a bullpen that lacks depth. His 2.87 ERA as a reliever was third-best in the 2015 pen.

Still, Ryan said May remains a potential starter — eventually.

"He's got the pitches, he's got the strength, he's shown he can do it. [But] right now, for this ball club, it seems to be a better fit for him in the bullpen," Ryan said. "There may be a day when the manager really likes [May] pounding out innings."

Ryan had not heard about White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche's reported decision to quit the game rather than bring his son to the ballpark less, as the team requested. But he said the Twins have never heard a complaint about their own policy about players' children in the clubhouse.

"We allow children after the games. And Sundays are usually our family days," when children are allowed on the field before games, he said. "We always stress that we're a family-oriented organization. There comes a time when you've got to get down to work. There comes a time when you have to put some limitations."

Byron Buxton was in the Twins' clubhouse early on Wednesday, eager to get to work again after the Twins' mid-month day off. "I'm seeing pitches a lot better now," he said. Hitting coach Tom Brunansky "has been throwing me breaking balls to get my pitch recognition down."

But shortly after talking about his desire to get back in the lineup, Buxton was scratched from it. After a long session in the outfield with coach Butch Davis and right fielder Miguel Sano, working on his defense in unusually humid weather, the rookie outfielder began to feel sick in the clubhouse. Buxton was sent home to recover, and Darin Mastroianni started in his place.

Phil Hughes will skip the bus ride to Sarasota on Thursday and make his scheduled start against a Tampa Bay Class A team in Fort Myers instead. It's the second straight start that the Twins have chosen to avoid using Hughes against the Orioles, a team he will face in a couple of weeks in the season-opening series. May and Kevin Jepsen will also stay home. Instead, the Twins will use seven relief pitchers, starting with lefty Taylor Rogers, in the final Florida night game of the spring.