SEATTLE — Something rare occurred for the Twins on Saturday, something that very possibly has not happened for years at this point of the season.
With outfielder Matt Wallner’s activation from the injured list from a hamstring strain that has kept him out since mid-April, the Twins have the full group they expected to break camp with finally healthy.
Of course, there’s a couple new names involved — Kody Clemens and Jonah Bride are now on the roster in place of Edouard Julien and Jose Miranda — and Luke Keaschall remains sidelined with a broken forearm, but everyone whom they entered the season planning on relying upon is now healthy, giving an already surging team a wealth of options.
“It feels good, especially getting everybody back together and having that group we had in spring training back together,” center fielder Byron Buxton said. “Obviously, we’ve got some new additions in here that’s been a big help to get us where we are. Just making sure, even though Matt’s coming back, you keep adding on and they keep doing their job as well as us doing our job. That’s what makes this team roll.”
They didn’t have their full expected group to begin the year — Royce Lewis (hamstring) and Brooks Lee (back) were out to begin the year. By the time Lewis returned as the later of the two, Wallner was already injured. Wallner, who hit a two-run home run in his first at-bat on Saturday, returned a day after Buxton (concussion injured list). And now, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has his full core from which to craft lineups.
“It’s wonderful to have Wallner back,” Baldelli said. “We’ve got guys that come and go in our lineup pretty often. It’s a really great feeling to get guys back. When he left, he was as productive as any player that we had at that point.”
Wallner injured his left hamstring running to first base on April 15 in a game against the New York Mets. Initially, he said, it didn’t feel like it was going to get better at all. It was tight for a week and remained stiff.
After that first week, it started getting better every single day, little signs of progress that showed him that he was on the right track.
“(I was doing) little stuff in the training room that I’ve never done in my life before, but I think for the most part, it worked, so we’ll take it,” Wallner said.
Once healed, the outfielder went on a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Saints during which he went 8 for 25 (.320) with five home runs over six games, driving in 13 and he picked up where he left off on Saturday with the Twins.
After the first rehab game, he felt a little more tired than he normally would, but he returns to the Twins after playing three consecutive games from Tuesday to Thursday, something which he came out of feeling healthy.
“I feel really good,” he said. “I’m just happy with where I’m at.”
Keirsey Jr. sent down
To make room on the roster, the Twins optioned outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. back to Triple-A.
Keirsey had settled into a role where he would primarily come in late to pinch run and play defense. He was hitting .109 in limited at-bats, with his biggest moment coming on Mother’s Day when he sent the Twins to a walk-off win.
“It’s hard to go from being a baseball player playing regularly to getting called up to the highest level and being told by the manager that you’re going to fill a specific role on Day 1,” Baldelli said. “He handled it great. Couldn’t have been better. … Now, it’s time for him to go get sharp again, go play and get a bunch of at-bats and get some time in the field.”
Briefly
Royce Lewis, who entered the day in an 0-for-28 slump, was not in the starting lineup on Saturday. … Chris Paddack is scheduled to start the series finale in Seattle, which will be at 3:10 p.m. CT. He is slated to face Luis Castillo.
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