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Twins place Milone on DL, call up Duffey to start Wednesday
Milone reports soreness in left elbow after last start, reports flexor tendon strain.
August 2, 2015 at 4:44PM
Star Tribune sports intern Josh Hyber here. I'll be covering today's Twins-Mariners game at Target Field, letting LaVelle, Phil and the rest of the gang enjoy a day off. Feel free to follow me on Twitter at @JoshHyber for all your game coverage.
I'll be making my Major League debut today, and on Wednesday, Tyler Duffey will make his for the Twins.
The Twins announced Sunday they will call up the pitcher Duffey from AAA-Rochester to start Wednesday's game in Toronto. Duffey (4-6, 2.72 ERA in Rochester), will make his first-career start against a Blue Jays lineup that features Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and newly-acquired Troy Tulowitzki.
The move comes in response to Tommy Milone being sent to the DL with a flexor strain in his left elbow. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Twins have moved Ryan Pressly from the 15-day to 60-day DL.
"Big, strong, right-handed guy," Molitor said of Duffey. "Velocity numbers are above average. He's got a breaking ball that's very effective against righties and lefties. When we saw him this spring, command was a little bit of an issue ... (but) he's gone down and he's had a really consistent year."
The Twins discussed a few options, including Jose Berrios, but thought Duffey was more qualified and prepared.
"We think, where he's at, he's a guy we don't think is going to be intimidated or fearful of challenging a Major League lineup," Molitor said. " ... It's a little bit of a tough first start, we know that, given their lineup. But hopefully he responds to it."
Molitor called the move precautionary, and said Milone hasn't had any elbow issues and tests have showed Milone is structurally "in good shape" but shows some signs of a strain.
"Hopefully it's only a 15-day deal, and we can get him back in there in a couple of weeks," Molitor said. "To back him off now makes sense."
Today's starting lineups:
MARINERS
Ketel Marte, 2B
Kyle Seager, 3B
Nelson Cruz, RF
Robinson Cano, DH
Seth Smith, LF
Austin Jackson, RF
Mark Trumbo, 1B
Brad Miller, SS
Jesus Sucre, C
TWINS
Brian Dozier, 2B
Aaron Hicks, CF
Joe Mauer, 1B
Miguel Sano, DH
Trevor Plouffe, 3B
Eddie Rosario, RF
Shane Robinson, LF
Kurt Suzuki, C
Eduardo Escobar, SS
Twins shortstop Carlos Correa is arguably their best player and easily their most expensive one. He’s frequently injured and a payroll-strapped team is up for sale. It feels like the Twins can’t afford to keep Correa, but the same is true of losing him.
