The Minnesota Twins announced on Wednesday morning that left-handed starter Adalberto Mejia was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left arm brachialis strain. Mejia was hitting 95-96 mph on the stadium gun early in Tuesday night’s start, but by the fourth was more in the 90-92 mph range and left after facing two batters in the inning.
Mejia told reporters after the game that he felt something in the second inning, but tried to pitch through it until it was apparent he couldn’t any longer.
With the Twins headed to Milwaukee to wrap up the four-game home-and-home series with the Brewers under National League rules, the team has promoted Kennys Vargas from Rochester. Vargas will give the Twins some bench thump with pinch-hitting opportunities almost a certainty over the next two games, but may not be a long-term solution as the activation of Hector Santiago and/or Glen Perkins loom as possible in the semi-near future.
Through 18 starts, Mejia was posting a 4.47 ERA (4.75 FIP) with a 1.57 WHIP, 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings and 4.2 walks per nine.
Vargas has hit .244/.291/.432 in 50 games with the Twins this season, and has hit .221/.341/.441 in 42 games at Triple-A. Since being sent back to Rochester in mid-July, Vargas has hit .224/.333/.493 in 19 games with five home runs, 11 walks and 17 strikeouts. His last three games were especially productive, as he went 5-for-11 with a pair of doubles and a home run.
The Twins continue their series with the Brewers from Miller Park at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday night, as Bartolo Colon takes on Brandon Woodruff.
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