Sano about to test elbow before the Twins face the Braves

The Twins begin a six-game road trip tonight as Ervin Santana takes the mound against Atlanta. Prior to the game, Miguel Sano tested out his right elbow with hopes of returning to the field this week.

August 16, 2016 at 9:36PM
Twins third baseman Miguel Sano's elbow pain is mere inflammation, a magnetic resonance imaging exam found Monday, and not a structural problem.
Twins third baseman Miguel Sano (Brian Wicker — Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Greetings from Turner Field, where afternoon rain has led to the tarp being on the field for a chunk of the afternoon. But the rain has ended and we expect to have a baseball game here tonight.

The rain kept the Twins from getting some early work in. That affected them in two different ways. One, they needed the work after committing four errors - and other offenses - in their loss to the Royals on Friday. Two, Miguel Sano was supposed to test his right elbow with a few throws. Sano had an MRI on his elbow on Monday, which came back clean. Sano also is feeling better after battling some discomfort in the elbow last week.

``I'm just trying to recover and get back on the field as soon as I can," Sano said.

He's going to have to prove he can unleash that cannon of an arm he has with no problems before he's allowed back at third base. As of this writing, the Twins are just coming out for pre-game work. So Sano hasn't test his arm yet. Twins manager Paul Molitor has not ruled out starting Sano at third base on Tuesday.

The Twins are just taking the field now, and Sano is warming up with Kennys Vargas.

The Twins lost to Atlanta twice at Target Field this season. And given their recent play, the Braves don't quite have that No. 1 pick locked up just yet. If Atlanta sweeps the series, the Twins will be just one game ahead of the Braves for the worst record in the majors.

That's right. There's a lot on the line this week at Turner Field. By the way, this is the Braves' final season in Turner Field. After only 20 years, they will be moving to the 'burbs, where they apparently got a nice deal on a new stadium project.

Twins

ADVERTISEMENT

Brian Dozier, 2B
Jorge Polanco, SS
Joe Mauer, 1B
Trevor Plouffe, 3B
Max Kepler, RF
Kurt Suzuki, C
Eddie Rosario, CF
Robbie Grossman, LF
Ervin Santana, RHP

Braves

Ender Inciarte, CF
Eryck Aynar, SS
Frankie Freeman, 1B
Matt Kemp, LF
Nick Markakis, RF
Adonis Garcia, 3B
Jace Peterson, 2B
A.J., C
Joel De La Cruz, RHP

about the writer

about the writer

La Velle E. Neal III

Columnist

La Velle E. Neal III is a sports columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune who previously covered the Twins for more than 20 years.

See Moreicon

More from Twins

See More
card image
Chris O'Meara/The Associated Press

Tristan Gray, 29, batted .231 with three homers and nine RBI in 78 at-bats with the Rays last year.

card image
St. Louis Cardinals' Carlos Beltran slides safely past Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia during the seventh inning of Game 3 of baseball's World Series Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013, in St. Louis. Beltran scored from second on a double by Matt Holliday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)