Twins righthander Ronny Henriquez relishes every moment in the majors he can get

ARLINGTON, Texas – Ronny Henriquez’s major-league career is playing out in thimble-sized portions, but like any employee hoping for more, he’s staying relentlessly positive, never allowing disappointment to sink in.

The Dominican righthander is in the Twins’ bullpen for the fourth time this season, but knows his tenure here could end at any moment. After all, his first three visits this season lasted just one game apiece. And his most recent action as a Twin? He threw exactly one pitch, got Philadelphia’s Bryson Stott to pop up, and got sent back to St. Paul.

“It’s something I don’t control. Those are decisions I don’t make, and I respect them,” the 24-year-old Henriquez said through interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “I always try to stay positive and keep working so the next time I get the call-up, I can be ready for it.”

Those call-ups are still a thrill, he said, even though he never gets to stick around.

“Every time Toby [Gardenhire, the Saints manager] tells me I’m going to the big leagues, I’m very happy,” Henriquez said. “Those are the things that make you happiest.”

This time, he’s getting to see what his life may have been like if the Rangers, who signed him as a 17-year-old in 2017, hadn’t included him in the Mitch Garver-for-Isiah Kiner-Falefa trade in 2022. He’ll likely pitch against his former team this weekend.

“Ronny gives us length. We were pitching a man short in the pen, which was fine for a day or two,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We needed some protection. And he can pitch in any type of role.”

But he’s not about to say out loud that someone with an 0.00 ERA should get a greater opportunity. “I always feel the same. I work hard every day, and every time I take the mound, I try to do what I know,” Henriquez said. “I’m good with that.”

Friday’s game began with a bit of history. Outfielder Manuel Margot led off the first inning by taking a ball, then fouling off Andrew Heaney’s second pitch with his bat, which was painted to look like a black Crayola. Margot would foul off nine more pitches, eight of them in a row, before flying out to left field on Heaney’s 16th pitch.

Pitch counts have only been reliably kept since the late 1980s, but Margot’s at-bat, the longest in MLB this season, tied Jorge Polanco in 2021 and Kyle Farmer in 2023 for the longest ever recorded by a Twin. It was also the longest of Margot’s nine-year career and Heaney’s 11-year career.

And according to Stathead.com, it’s the longest at-bat by the first batter of any MLB game in their database, a span dating back to 1988.

“I didn’t know that, but that made me feel great. In this league, we try to get the starter out as soon as we can,” Margot said. “I was tired. I was tired. I missed [a hit], but I feel good after that.”

That’s why the Twins still cannot predict when their shortstop, who has now missed a month with the foot injury, will return.

“As you deal with these plantar fasciitis injuries, you realize these things drag on,” Paparesta said. “Once you see him out there running a lot, you’ll know we’re in a pretty good spot.”

Paparesta provided updates on a handful of other injuries. Among them:

• Dr. Neal ElAttrache, among the most prominent surgeons in sports, agreed with the Twins’ diagnosis of Joe Ryan’s injury: a Grade 2 strain of the teres major muscle in his shoulder, an injury that will sideline the righthander for several weeks and perhaps the remainder of the season.

• Brock Stewart’s shoulder surgery on Tuesday went as planned. Dr. Timothy Kremchek “went in and cleaned out the whole joint for him. They did a posterior capture release [to relieve] tightness in his internal rotation.”

• Brooks Lee will “probably start throwing [Saturday]. He’s swinging from the right side, which was fine, and we’ll get him swinging Monday from the left side,” depending on how his sore shoulder responds, Paparesta said.

• Reliever Justin Topa “had a little bit of elbow soreness after playing catch back-to-back days, so we’re going to slow him down a little bit more,” Paparesta said. “We don’t have an imminent date for his return.”