TORONTO – Only the Twins could go from having three capable catchers at the beginning of the season to one Tuesday.
Jason Castro is nursing a sore right elbow after being hit by a pitch Monday. The Twins planned to give him Tuesday off to let it heal. Willians Astudillo, on the injured list because of a sore right hamstring, ran on the field and worked on defensive drills before the game. The earliest he could be activated is Wednesday.
That left the Twins down to one catcher for Tuesday's game. Mitch Garver did his part in the 3-0 victory over the Blue Jays, starting behind the plate and going 3-for-3 with two RBI on his seventh home run in the sixth inning.
But in a pinch, they could have used first baseman C.J. Cron.
"I've been emergency backup six or seven times in my career," Cron said. "Those days, I like to catch a bullpen just in case the crazy scenario comes up, but yeah, every once in a while, I guess."
How's your pitch framing?
"That's all I know how to do," Cron said.
Cron said he was a catcher while playing at the University of Utah, but moved to first base when he was drafted by the Angels in 2011, mostly because of a shoulder issue. He borrowed some extra catcher's gear and a glove from Nate Dammann, the team's former bullpen catcher turned replay assistant. And he caught Jake Odorizzi's bullpen session Tuesday to polish up some rusty skills.