NEW YORK -- With a 39-53 record heading into the All-Star break, the Twins aren't sitting still.
Outfielders Oswaldo Arcia and Chris Parmelee and infielder Eduardo Escobar were optioned to Class AAA Rochester shortly after the Twins' 10-4 victory over the Yankees on Sunday, shaking up the roster as the team heads into the second half of the season next Friday.
Shortstop Doug Bernier and catcher Chris Herrmann will join the team on Friday, along with a third player still to be announced. The Twins won't reveal the third player, but Chris Colabello, the International League's leading hitter, is scheduled to play in the Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday, making him a likely candidate for promotion once that game is played.
"We're shaking things up here, but the most important part is to get these kids right, because they're our future," manager Ron Gardenhire said of the moves. "This is what we're counting on, and right now, they're struggling."
Arcia is the most obvious example; the 22-year-old is batting .159 in July and has struck out in his last seven at-bats and 11 of his last 13. "As the old saying goes: Right now, he can't hit water falling out of a boat," Gardenhire said. "He needs some swings. He's missing a lot of pitches."
Same for Parmelee, who has batted .223 in 83 games, and Escobar, hitting .214 in 55 games. "Parmelee just needs to go swing," Gardenhire said. "Right now, he's talking himself into things, running over and dissecting every swing, every pitch. ... He needs to relax." And Escobar is too young to play so infrequently, the manager added, so the Twins want him to get regular at-bats at Triple-A.
Bernier is a 33-year-old journeyman who has reached the big leagues before, going 0-for-4 in a two-game stint with the Rockies in 2008. He's hit .295 with 41 RBIs in Rochester since signing as a minor-league free agent last winter. "He's earned his way up here," Gardenhire said. His contract will be selected and added to the 40-man roster, filling a vacancy created when P.J. Walters was designated for assignment earlier this month.
Herrmann, 25, will be joining the Twins for the second time this season; he went 6-for-13 in seven games in May and June, with a home run, though he's hitting just .230 with two homers at Rochester.
