The Twins roster now has an Opening Day look to it.
You know, the Twins start the season with 12 pitchers and vow to stick with that arrangement because having a three-man bench limits their flexibility. Then a week or two into the season, the Twins have to shift to 13 pitchers.
On Monday, the Twins designated Phil Hughes (pictured) for assignment and called up outfielder Ryan LaMarre to replace him. The Twins now have six outfielders, five infielders, two catchers and 12 pitchers.
One of the questions for manager Paul Molitor today will be how long does he plan to stick with this arrangement. LaMarre gives him an option to start against lefthanded pitchers, and the Twins are in the middle of a run during which they'll run into a few lefties. I don't think this will last very long.
We'll get the now-daily updates on Miguel Sano and Ervin Santana and see how Joe Mauer is recovering from his neck strain and concussion symptoms.
I have no inside info here. But I'm wondering how this affects his decision to play after this year. You have to be able to dive for balls, right? You can't dive for balls worrying about cervical strains and concussion symptoms, right? This has to be concerning.
Here is the Twins lineup:
