Trevor Larnach is the Twins' latest outfield casualty

June 1, 2021 at 1:01AM
Minnesota Twins' Trevor Larnach bats against the Cleveland Indians in a baseball game, Friday, May 21, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach wore a walking boot when the team traveled to Baltimore and got treatment instead of playing time Monday against the Orioles. (Tony Dejak, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

BALTIMORE – Like a good Netflix series, there are all sorts of seemingly unrelated plot twists taking place in the Twins outfield, which might — or might not — be resolved with a surprise ending.

Start with the backstory: Center fielder Byron Buxton and Jake Cave are injured and out for a while, as is left fielder Luis Arraez. Then absorb last week's dramatic development, Max Kepler's hamstring acting up and forcing him to the injured list.

That led to Monday's surprise revelation, that the Scott Barlow slider that bashed Trevor Larnach's left foot Sunday left him in such pain, he was wearing a walking boot when the team flew to Baltimore. He received treatment instead of playing in Monday's 3-2, 10-inning victory, but the rookie was still in pain afterward.

"He's just not moving around great," manager Rocco Baldelli said of Larnach, who was batting .357 with two home runs over his past six games.

Kyle Garlick filled in Monday, but the only other plausible outfielder on the bench was Willians Astudillo. And as a reminder of how things are going for the Twins, Rob Refsnyder, who in three weeks has gone from "never-played-the-position-in-the-majors" to everyday center fielder, ran headlong at full speed into the wall Monday while pursuing Ryan Mountcastle's home run.

"They should take a look at that fence" for damage," Baldelli deadpanned. "He might have shaken himself up a little bit. He flat-out ran into it. The trainers went back to him multiple times to make sure he was doing OK."

Meanwhile, the Twins promoted Gilberto Celestino, a 22-year-old Dominican who happens to be an accomplished defender in center, from Class  AA Wichita to Class AAA St. Paul. Celestino, who is on the 40-man roster, has already cleared the COVID-19 protocols that players must fulfill upon reaching AAA, making him eligible for further promotion.

The Twins won't say whether the latter twist is related to the plot devices that came before it. But as of Monday, Larnach was still hobbling around on a sore ankle, too.

Dominant outing

Baldelli is aware of the expectations that Jose Berrios carries, that Twins fans expect a two-time All-Star to develop into a superstar. Monday's performance, the manager said, is a sign that it may be happening.

"This is a "next-step" kind of start. I mean, my God," said Baldelli, who after watching Berrios mow down the Orioles on only 96 pitches in eight innings, made the rare decision to send the righthander out for the ninth. "It's not often that you're going to be looking to your starting pitcher to pitch into the ninth like that, but Jose did it. He made the decision for us, the way he was throwing the ball. It was great to see, and it was a memorable Memorial Day duel [between] him and the Orioles staff. A game I'm sure we won't forget."

Xxx

Miguel Sano struck out in the second inning, perhaps out of habit. The slugger had a home run streak earlier this month, but continues to need time in every game to find his power stroke.

In a doubleheader vs. the Angels on May 20, Sano doubled in the second inning of Game 1 and hit a grand slam in the first inning of Game 2. But in the other 36 games he has played in this season, his first plate appearance has amounted to almost nothing: Sano is 0-for-30 in his first plate appearances, with five walks, one hit by pitch and 17 strikeouts.

Etc.

• Buxton has been running on a treadmill, Baldelli said, in order to measure how much pain he still feels in his sore hip when he decelerates. "He has still kind of felt it a little bit when decelerating, but he's really striding it out better," Baldelli said. "That being said, we need to make sure [it's] zero issue before we get him out there again."

• Jorge Polanco's 10th-inning home run broke an odd streak for the second baseman. It was his first home run since Aug. 31, 2019, that came later than the first three innings; his previous 10 home runs all occurred early in games.

• Righthander Shaun Anderson, who appeared in three games before suffering a quadriceps strain, was activated from the 10-day injured list and optioned to St. Paul.

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Larnach (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Phil Miller

Reporter

Phil Miller has covered the Twins for the Minnesota Star Tribune since 2013. Previously, he covered the University of Minnesota football team, and from 2007-09, he covered the Twins for the Pioneer Press.

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