Twins roster is coming into focus

FORT MYERS, FLA. – The clubhouse population at Hammond Stadium is dwindling. That means the end of spring training is near.

And Saturday's big cutdown day — in which the Twins sent six players out — showed that the club is almost settled on its 25-man roster for Opening Day. The moves ended competition for outfield and bench spots and set up a showdown for the final spots in the rotation and bullpen.

Catcher John Hicks was optioned to Class AAA Rochester while outfielders Carlos Quentin and Darin Mastroianni, lefthander Dan Runzler, catcher Juan Centeno and infielder James Beresford were assigned to the minor league camp.

"It's not like we're coming to the end of camp and we are disappointed in who we have to choose from," General Manager Terry Ryan said. "There is no doubt that people [from other clubs] will be available as you go into these last [several] days. [But] we feel pretty good about what we are choosing from."

Here is what remains up for grabs as camp winds down:

There's some drama left in the fight for spots in the rotation. The Twins announced their top three starters — Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson — while leaving the final two spots in the rotation an open competition between Tommy Milone, Ricky Nolasco and Tyler Duffey.

It looks as if the final spot will come down to Duffey or Nolasco.

"You can't help but have it in the back of your mind," Milone said of the battle. "Once you step in between the lines you have a job to do and nothing else matters. You have to get outs."

Duffey came to camp with a spot in the rotation all but locked up but has not been sharp this spring, forcing the Twins to keep their options open. Monday will be an important day, as Duffey will face Pittsburgh and Nolasco will face Class A Frederick on one of the back fields at the CenturyLink Sports complex. The winner gets a trip to Baltimore.

The loser? If it's Nolasco, he could land in the bullpen as a long reliever. If it's Duffey, he will begin the season at Class AAA Rochester, opening up a spot in the bullpen for another reliever.

"It's a little delicate in how this thing is going to play out," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "You have three people involved there, and there have been a lot of good things. Whatever we decide to do we have to decide how to handle the other components."

The Twins will go with a 12-man pitching staff, so it's not hard to fill out most of the bullpen spots.

The lefthander likely will be Fernando Abad despite him giving up a run on four hits in one inning Thursday. He has to be added to the 40-man roster, but the Twins cleared space last week by outrighting Mike Strong to Rochester.

"He has shown his experience and poise," Molitor said. "He throws quality strikes."

That leaves one open spot. Nolasco would be the choice there, but he might be able to slide into the rotation. If that happens, and Duffey heads to Rochester, a spot opens up for lefthander Logan Darnell or righthanders Michael Tonkin or Brandon Kintzler. Tonkin is out of options, which is always a consideration.

''We have a good issue on our hands,'' Ryan said. ''We have a decision to make, but that is not a bad thing.''

It was Quentin vs. Oswaldo Arcia for the final spot on the Twins bench. Quentin got off to a fast start but faded late to bat .250 with two home runs and seven RBI. And defense is not his forte.

The lefthanded-hitting Arcia is a good fit off the bench as a pinch hitter, occasional designated hitter and reserve outfielder.

''The thing about him is that he's 24 years old, there is still plenty of opportunity to get his career going back in the right direction,'' Ryan said of Arcia, ''so he is going to get an opportunity.''

Ryan told Quentin, who was disappointed when told he hadn't made the team, to take a couple of days to decide whether he wants to play in the minors. If he does, his contract calls for him to be released if he's not called up by June 1.

''I think he handled himself well considering he hadn't played in a year,'' Molitor said. ''He still looks like a threat.''

Danny Santana locked up a spot as a utility player, thanks to a late surge at the plate. Eduardo Nunez was a lock as a backup infielder when camp opened. John Ryan Murphy has not hit at all, but his spot on the roster was never in doubt.

The Twins just wanted some assurances that Buxton wouldn't be overmatched at the plate like he was last year during his big league baptism. They feel Buxton is taking better at-bats and not falling behind in the count as much. Molitor had described many of Buxton's at-bats as "swimming upstream," because he's frequently in the hole.

Buxton looked better later in the past week, as he laid off bad pitches and tried to bunt his way on base. Mastroianni and Max Kepler were around as options before being cut from camp.

The Twins know Buxton will be excellent defensively. They hope he can be functional offensively as the blue-chip prospect continues to learn the league. He will join Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano as part of an outfield that will average 22.6 years old on Opening Day.

''The defensive side of the game,'' Ryan said, ''is going to make us a better ballclub."