Danny Santana is doing well, Byron Buxton is close to ready and Glen Perkins is doing maintenance on his rotator cuff, according to Minnesota Twins GM Terry Ryan.
“We’re gonna start talking here in the next day or so about exactly what we want to do as far as rehab probability. Because he did well today, starting to run,” Ryan said in reference to Santana, who can come off the DL on the 25th. “He can do almost everything now. Pretty sure we’re gonna decide on where he’s going.”
Ryan was just as impressed by Park’s home run as everybody else, which landed in the new “Catch” section in center field. “There are not very many that go up in there,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve seen many go that way, even in batting practice. So he got that.”
“He’s a strong guy. That ball he hit in Kansas City went quite a ways as well. When he gets one, they travel,” he added. “I’m kind of relieved that he did that home, so people could see some of the power that he possesses. I don’t know how many people saw that home run in Kansas City.”
Oswaldo Arcia is in the lineup again, and appears to be returning to form. He hit 34 home runs in his first two major league seasons, at ages 22 and 23, but struggled last year (19 games, 65 plate appearances).
He finished the season in Triple-A with a sub-.200 batting average, and had only two major league homers on the season.
“He showed some signs down there,” said Ryan, in reference to Spring Training in Ft. Myers, where Arcia arrived early to get extra work in. “He had a very difficult year last year, we all know it and saw it. I’m not sure why, but he got to work this winter and came to Spring Training ready to go to compete.”
Michael Cuddyer was at Target Field eating at the table next to us. Ryan said Cuddyer meant a lot to the organization and complimented him on his career, but he won’t be working for the Twins in any capacity this year.
“He’s got some obligations to the Mets” as part of his buyout, said Ryan.
“I’ll leave that alone, because that’s not fair, but he’s got a lot of talent,” he added. “Whether it be in uniform or outside of the uniform in the broadcasting world, Michael Cuddyer is one of those guys that anybody that’s been around him would say, ‘That guy will stay in the game.'”
As far as if the team getting a breath of fresh air after winning two games, Ryan said he’s not in the clubhouse much, but he imagines that things are a little more upbeat.
“I’m guessing you see some of that relax, relief, confidence,” he said. “I don’t know what they’re doing after the game much. We still have a lot of work to do here. We’ve got a lot of people that are still trying to find their way.”
