St. Paul – The Minnesota Twins only have six regular-season games left, but as fans have learned, a lot can change in a 10-game span. Players can get hurt at any moment or end up in Triple-A after a lousy performance in the big leagues.
Injuries have tested Minnesota’s organizational depth all year. Between Triple-A St. Paul, the Twins have called up and sent down 24 players, with more possible before the regular season ends.
The Saints season concluded on Sunday. However, the players on the 40-man roster who finished their season with St. Paul will still be practicing at CHS this week in case they are called upon to help Minnesota fight back into the postseason.
“We’re definitely not folding it in,” Saints manager Toby Gardenhire said on the last week of the season. “We have a bunch of guys who can still impact the big league team, and they’re in a playoff race. A lot of these guys are playing so if something happens up there, we’re going to send some guys up, so they’re trying to stay ready for that.”
There are currently 13 players in the Saints clubhouse on the Twins 40-man roster. Three of them are injured and out of the year: Matt Canterino, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Josh Winder. Two are on an MLB rehab assignment: Kody Funderburk and Justin Topa.
However, Jorge Alcala, Diego Castillo, Brent Headrick, Jair Camargo, Michael Helman, Austin Martin, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., and Yunior Severino are seeing regular playing time at their respective positions as needed.
All nine players of these players on the 40-man won’t be back in the Twins clubhouse this season. However, it’s not keeping them from doing their part down the stretch for St. Paul to get more opportunities to contribute in the big leagues.
“I’m just trying to improve on all aspects of my game,” said Martin, who the Twins demoted to St. Paul after they activated Byron Buxton on Sept. 12.
“I know the emphasis was more on outfield reads, so I’ve been trying to put more focus in and attention towards that. But for me, it doesn’t matter how many reps. I’m just trying to be on the field every day, get at-bats every day, and just keep my eyes dialed in at the plate. And, like I said, just continue working on that outfield defense.”
Helman rejoined the Saints on Sept. 11 after his first-ever call-up to the majors.
“I think it’s just taking wherever I play on the field and really finding a way to hone in those skills at each position, knowing I can be in the infield one day or in the outfield another,” said Helman. “Especially when I was up there I was doing a lot of pinch-running and stuff like that, especially on the bases where I pay attention a little bit more in certain situations of when to run, when not to run.”
Camargo is in the same situation as Helman, trying to do whatever he can to stay healthy and help the big league club. However, he almost got hurt in Tuesday night’s Saints game against the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate. He was hit by a pitch not just once but twice on both his right elbow and hand. Camargo had a big reaction to the second one on his hand, not because of the pain but more because of the frustration of possibly getting hurt this late in the year.
“I kind of got mad a little bit,” said Camargo. “It’s not intentional, but still getting hit 95, 96 mph on the hand is something you don’t want, especially when you’re getting into a good spot. I don’t want to get hurt and miss the end of the season. I want to be healthy and didn’t want to miss more time. I’m made because of that, but it’s part of the game.”
Camargo sat Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday’s games but was back behind the plate Saturday, going 1-for-2. Helman continued to get reps across the diamond, appearing at shortstop, centerfield, third base, and shortstop. The Saints have used Martin at left, center field, and second base, which is where he’s typically played in the majors.
Out of any players on the 40-man, these three appear to be the most likely to get another chance with the Twins before the season ends. The Twins would call Camargo up if Ryan Jeffers or Christian Vázquez goes down with an injury. However, Martin and Helman finished their seasons in St. Paul stronger than some of the big leaguers have hit over the last two weeks.
Martin went 11-for-33 in St. Paul’s final nine games with a .840 OPS and stole four bases, while Helman did not finish as strong, going 7-for-37 (.189 batting average) with one home run and four RBI. However, Helman’s performance is still better than Manuel Margot’s eight games since returning from the IL. In that time, he’s gone 2-for-21 and extended his hitless pinch-hitting streak to 0-for-30.
These three hitters possess qualities that could provide a much-needed boost to Minnesota’s lineup, which has gone cold over the last month, hitting .220 as a team and having the fewest home runs in all of MLB with 18. In addition to one of them possibly returning, it’s all but certain that the Twins could activate Justin Topa as early as today from the 60-day IL. Topa would only be available for two to three of Minnesota’s final six games, but his availability would also bring much-needed alleviation to an exhausted bullpen.
