Dylan Bundy set to return to a Twins rotation in flux

OAKLAND, CALIF. – It's too bad the Twins starting rotation isn't sponsored by a cryptocurrency. The wild swings between abundance and scarcity would make more sense.

The Twins started the season with more starting pitchers than could fit in a five-man rotation, and manager Rocco Baldelli made room for six for a couple of weeks. Then injuries removed Sonny Gray, Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack, and COVID-19 sidelined Dylan Bundy, and suddenly Baldelli and pitching coach Wes Johnson were coping with a shortage of available arms.

They survived, even thrived, while everyone (except Paddack, who will miss most or all of the rest of the season) got healthy, and now some more decisions are necessary.

The first one, Baldelli said, is easy: Bundy will start Tuesday night's game against the Athletics, his first activity since testing positive for the virus 12 days earlier in Baltimore.

"He's feeling a lot better, throwing the ball well," Baldelli said.

Gray is set to pitch in his longtime home here Wednesday afternoon, but the Twins' plans for Kansas City this weekend remain under discussion, the manager said.

Will righthander Josh Winder, stellar in his first two starts but roughed up a bit by the Astros last Thursday, return to his original role in the bullpen? Will Devin Smeltzer, who pitched five strong innings against the Guardians on Saturday, remain in the rotation? Out of minor league options, the lefthanded Smeltzer would almost certainly be claimed by another team if the Twins tried to return him to Class AAA St. Paul.

Even Baldelli isn't certain yet.

"I literally spent much of the afternoon looking at that, some of it with Wes," he said. "There are a lot of different options. There are at least six, and I think there are seven names that are kind of lined up, where we're just trying to decide where they're pitching next."

After Monday's win over Oakland, the Twins informed righthander Jharel Cotton that he is being designated for assignment in order to make room on the roster for Bundy. Cotton has allowed one earned run in 6 2/3 innings, a 1.35 ERA, so the Twins would like to keep him.

"He's done nice work. I hope we can keep him in the organization," Baldelli said, though that will require Cotton to pass through waivers unclaimed, and his agreement to report to St. Paul. "I think there are going to be plenty of opportunities, if we are able to keep him, at the big-league level."

Joe Ryan has never pitched at Oakland Coliseum, and won't this week. Imagine the money that random circumstance is costing him.

"I'm glad he caught the ball. That's all I'm really concerned about," Baldelli said, though he was not aware of the arrangement before Ryan's catch. "I'm not afraid of a little bit of extra incentive on certain plays."

Especially in this era of extreme shifts, Baldelli pointed out, pitchers showing a little range and making some plays becomes more important, because they have created popups that infielders and catchers can't reach in time.

And nowhere is the potential for bonus plays bigger than in Oakland, where the round playing field creates foul territory twice the size of almost any other park.

Some of those plays are actually hard," Baldelli said.