Alex Kirilloff makes his case to return to Twins with his bat

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.

That said, Baldelli pointed out that Kirilloff is an outfielder and a first baseman, and the Twins currently have productive players in those spots. "We have some guys that are good players here, too," the manager said of Trevor Larnach, Max Kepler and Luis Arraez. "It's certainly a consideration. The spots he plays, we have other guys that are also doing an excellent job."

Still, he added, "If AK's feeling like this and swinging the bat like this, it's probably just a matter of time before he gets his opportunity again." In fact, Baldelli said, "It's kind of obvious, but I see him being a massive piece of our future."

That's why the Twins are relieved that a cortisone shot has apparently restored Kirilloff's health and power.

"He's physically in a good place. Getting back to feeling like a ballplayer again, getting some timing and playing games without missing time, that's been important," Baldelli said. "He had to get out there and see pitching. Re-remember how to get to certain pitches in the zone, because it's been a challenging road to get to this point for him, on the physical end. But he's doing it now, and he's reached a point of comfort and production and all those things that we were looking to see."