Miguel Sano had only one highlight in the first week of the Twins' season, a double down the left-field line Tuesday.
The rest has been a struggle.
The Twins first baseman was 0-for-3 on Thursday with two strikeouts and a popup against Cleveland righthander Shane Bieber, but his other at-bats haven't been much better. In addition to failing to square up baseballs, he's been beaten by fastballs 94 miles per hour and above.
That double against St. Louis is his only hit, as Sano is 1-for-17 with no walks and is tied for the team lead with eight strikeouts.
Some players get off to slower starts than others, but Sano also missed the opening part of summer camp while he recovered from COVID-19, and his timing looks off.
That's not dust flying around the batter's box when he swings. It's rust.
Sano was not in the lineup for Friday's 4-1 victory over Cleveland.
"I think normally we have six, seven weeks to get ready for a season after a long offseason of working out and being in great shape," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "He did a good job of dealing with this quarantine period that he was in. And let's not forget he's dealt with COVID itself.