After spending two days on the bench, outfielder Oswaldo Arcia was back in the Twins lineup Friday, batting seventh.

Manager Ron Gardenhire said he needed to sit Arcia down after the young slugger batted .063 over a 10-game stretch. Arcia, who missed 33 games because of a strained right wrist, entered Friday batting .221 with four home runs and 13 RBI.

“It’s about slowing everything down and not trying to hit it 1,000 miles,” Gardenhire said. “He’s trying to make up for every missed at bat with one swing. Just put the barrel on the ball and let it travel.”

Chris Parmelee started the two games Arcia was on the bench. Gardenhire said Arcia worked hard with hitting coach Tom Brunansky this week and hopes he returns to the lineup with some pop in his bat.

“Watching a game or two, for these young guys, is not a bad thing,” Gardenhire said.

Arcia has been one of the Twins’ energy guys, but assistant general manager Rob Antony noted that was missing as Arcia’s slump gained momentum. The Twins like seeing that side of Arcia, as long as he doesn’t cross the line.

“Where did that go?” Antony said. “He had that, he was excited and everything was going great. Then he started struggling and all of that was gone. He’s going to have to find that balance and be prepared to play every day he comes to the ballpark.”

Sano will play

The Twins have acknowledged that all signs point to third base prospect Miguel Sano being able to get some at-bats before the minor league season ends. Sano, out because of Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery in March, has been rehabilitating in Fort Myers, Fla.

According to Antony, Sano will be examined July 7 and should be cleared to begin a throwing program. If all goes well he will see some game action before the minor league season ends.

“He should be able to get some at-bats in August,” Antony said.

Sano is still considered the second-best prospect in the organization behind outfielder Byron Buxton. Both are expected to participate in offseason leagues in order to get more at-bats.

Considered options

The Twins went ahead and played Thursday’s game following a 2-hour, 6-minute rain delay. Why not postpone the game rather than have fans wait that long on a weekday?

Twins President Dave St. Peter said there were some initial snags.

“We looked at a variety of different options on this game,” he said, “and we didn’t get the answers we were hoping relative to the dates we were looking for.”

So they decided to wait, and got a bad break when the rain ended 30-45 minutes later than they hoped it would.

It was the 14th weather delay in Target Field history, and the third-longest.

Etc.

• The Twins will join in on World Cup fever Sunday, The club will show the U.S.-Portugal game on a large screen at Target Field Station, just outside the ballpark. St. Peter said the club expects a chunk of fans attending the Twins-White Sox game Sunday to stick around and watch the game.

• Twins starting pitching has ranked last in the American League in each of the past two seasons. But on Wednesday, the Twins moved out of last place in starters ERA and entered Friday’s game 14th, at 4.64. The White Sox fell to last in the league at 4.65. Cleveland is right in front of the Twins, at 4.62. Twins starters entered Friday with a 2.41 ERA over their previous nine outings.