FORT MYERS, Fla. — The competition for a spot in the Twins bullpen as a situation left-hander was reduced to three on Wednesday, when the team announced a half-dozen cuts, including lefties Taylor Rogers and Buddy Boshers. Those departures leave Fernando Abad, Dan Runzler, Ryan O'Rourke and perhaps Logan Darnell in the running for a bullpen job.
Rogers is likely to move back to the starting rotation at Class AAA Rochester after being optioned this morning, while Boshers, reassigned to minor-league camp, works out of the Red Wings' bullpen.
Righthander J.R. Graham, who spent last season on the Twins' roster as a Rule 5 pick, was optioned to Rochester as well. Reassigned to the minors: catcher Carlos Paulino, shortstop Wilfredo Tovar and first baseman Buck Britton.
The biggest surprise, arguably, is the fact that the cuts stopped at six, since only Rogers was considered to have much of a chance at sticking. With the final split-squad day now past, it wouldn't have shocked anyone to see twice that many players sent out, since the camp clubhouse still has 37 players. But Paul Molitor has made it clear, for the second straight spring, that he's very deliberate in considering everybody, and reluctant to pare down before necessary.
The bullpen is taking shape now, with Glen Perkins, Kevin Jepsen, Trevor May and Casey Fien all guaranteed spots. One of the starting pitchers, either Ricky Nolasco (who faces the Rays this afternoon) or Tommy Milone, will be in the pen, too, leaving two spots to be decided. Ryan Pressly is a heavy favorite for one of them, with the four left-handers probably competing for the other. Those plans could change, however, if Molitor and general manager Terry Ryan decide to keep another righthander, like Michael Tonkin or Brandon Kintzler, or if Milone, a left-hander, winds up relieving.
The Rays are bringing essentially a Triple-A team to Hammond Stadium today, given that their major leaguers spent the past two days in Cuba — and sat on the tarmac in Havana until 5 a.m., with mechanical problems to blame. Tyler Duffey and Fien also pitch today, on the minor-league diamond against the Norfolk Tides, the Orioles' AAA affiliate.
Here are the lineups for today's game:
RAYS
Lee CF
Hager 2B
Decker RF
Roller DH
Leonard 3B
Seitzer 1B
Robertson SS
Field LF
DePew C
Eveland LHP
TWINS
Buxton CF
Mauer 1B
Sano RF
Plouffe 3B
Rosario LF
Quentin DH
Nunez SS
Suzuki C
Santana 2B
Nolasco RHP