Spend long enough in the major leagues, and the road trips start losing their novelty. You visit the same ballparks in the same cities. You stay at the same hotels and eat at the same restaurants.
But the road trip the Twins will kick off on Monday is anything but routine.
“It’s going to be as interesting of a trip as we’re going to have all year long,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “The guys, I doubt most of them have even thought of it for one second. We know it as a staff. But we’re looking forward to it. I think it’ll be a nice challenge.”
This swing will take them first to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Rays before a cross-country flight to Seattle and then a four-game series in Sacramento, Calif., to finish it off. They’ll play in two cities that they’re not accustomed to — Tampa rather than St. Petersburg, and Sacramento as opposed to Oakland — and at two ballparks that typically host minor league games.
“We keep calling it the ‘Minor League Road Trip,’” starter Pablo López said.
And that it is.
When Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida last October, it tore up the roof at Tropicana Field and displaced the Rays, who this season are playing their home games at Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees’ spring training home.
“I remember seeing it live, and I remember seeing pictures of it immediately after it happened,” said Baldelli, a former Rays player and coach. “You feel a lot of emotions. You feel, mostly, disappointment and sadness and all that.”
Because of the displacement, the Rays have wound up in a stadium that does not have a roof. As a result, Major League Baseball shuffled the schedule to avoid potential weather issues during the potentially rainy Florida summer.
The Twins were initially supposed to host the Rays in Minneapolis this week, but their scheduled series here was flipped and will now take place over the Fourth of July weekend. That decision left the Twins with an extra-long road trip that includes travel between Florida and Washington.
López said he has been told to expect a flight that is nearly six hours long, and he already has plans for his teammates during it. Like he did last year during an off night in Detroit, López plans to host bingo, inviting those interested to the back of the plane. He’s planning on holding the game during hours two through four of the flight.
An off day in Seattle will precede a three-game series against the first-place Mariners before the Twins head south to Sacramento to take on the Athletics at their new home. The Athletics moved to Sutter Health Park this season and intend to play there for the near future before moving to Las Vegas down the line.
“There’s some curiosity of what it’s like,” catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “I know hitters, it’s a bandbox. I think we’re going to be a little excited to get some balls in the air there.”
Typically used to host the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, the Twins aren’t expecting the park will be similar to a major league facility. But they can handle a few minor annoyances for four days.
“It’s going to be quite the experience,” López said. “It’s going to be interesting to see the set up. It’s going to be interesting to see the layout, the fans showing up. … Obviously playing a big league game in those parks is definitely going to feel weird and different, but it’s 60 feet, six inches.”
Buxton joining trip
Byron Buxton is still day-to-day with a concussion suffered last week, but the center fielder is making the trip, a good sign for him and the Twins.
Buxton and Carlos Correa collided last Thursday in Baltimore. Correa returned on Friday and Buxton, Baldelli said, is “getting closer.”
“He ran (Sunday) out on the field,” Baldelli said. “We’re going assessment by assessment right now, but I think he’s ready to get back and play. But we need all the doctors to put all the check marks down and make sure that he’s ready. We have to make sure he’s good to go.”
Unlike Buxton, Matt Wallner (hamstring) is not making the trip to Florida, though his return on this road trip seems likely should his rehab assignment continue to progress well.
Briefly
Chris Paddack will start Monday night’s game in Tampa. … The base that Harrison Bader stole in the 10th inning on Sunday was the 100th stolen base of his career.
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