NEW YORK - Miguel Sano was asleep in the Twins' hotel around 7 a.m. Thursday when his phone began buzzing. "Everybody calls me — 'The baby's born! The baby's born!' " Sano said. "I thought people were joking with me."
It's no joke — Sano is a father for the fourth time. Danea, his third daughter, was born overnight in Minneapolis, about a week earlier than her due date. Both Danea and Sano's wife Daniela are doing fine, he said.
Sano had planned to fly home Monday, a scheduled off day, to be with Daniela for the birth. Instead, Sano played Thursday and homered in the Twins' 7-5 loss to the Yankees and will return to Minnesota on Friday, taking a three-day paternity leave that will extend to four days on Monday. The Twins will add a player on Friday to replace him.
Sano has a tattoo reading "Angelica R.I.P" on his right forearm in tribute to his first daughter, who died a week after being born in 2014 because of a heart defect.
The Twins added two pitchers before Thursday's game after using eight pitchers in Wednesday's 11-inning victory over Cleveland at Target Field.
Lewis Thorpe, who started Wednesday before leaving because of a sore arm, went on the injured list and Edgar Garcia was optioned to St. Paul today.
Pitchers Andrew Albers and Kyle Barraclough were called up from the Saints.
Albers, 35, is in his third stint with the Twins, and has also pitched for the Mariners and Blue Jays.
