SEATTLE — Alex Kirilloff batted .375 for the St. Paul Saints last week, hit three home runs and posted a 1.215 on base-plus-slugging percentage.
Yep, he's in a slump.
At least he is by comparison to the previous week, when Kirilloff was named International League player of the week for bashing three doubles and four home runs in only four games, good for a 1.914 OPS.
"This is the Alex Kirilloff that we know," his former manager, Rocco Baldelli, said Monday. "One of the best hitters in the game."
He certainly seems to have adjusted to playing with a naggingly sore wrist. Since being sent down to Class AAA on May 15, Kirilloff has batted .384 with nine home runs, and says his progress has him optimistic about putting the injury in the past.
"It feels a lot better. [I'm] just kind of building a routine and understanding what it needs to get ready," he said earlier this month when he traveled to Detroit as part of the non-roster taxi squad.
He wasn't needed, so he returned to St. Paul. How long he remains there is an interesting question, especially given his performance.
"There's no particular thing at this point that we're looking for," Baldelli said. "He's putting himself in the conversation by going out there and showing us what he can do."