Devin Smeltzer reconnects with fellow childhood cancer survivor

ARLINGTON, TEXAS – Devin Smeltzer had a special fan in the crowd for his Saturday start against the Rangers.

Drew Herrell — who was about 6 years old when he and Smeltzer first met in 2019 — watched his favorite player from the Globe Life Field stands with his family. Smeltzer and the Herrells have maintained a relationship for almost three years now, even once going to Disney World together.

The Herrell family had reached out to Smeltzer and the Twins in 2019 after hearing about the pitcher's story. Smeltzer is a childhood cancer survivor who went on play in the majors. Herrell also loves baseball and has been battling the same rare cancer, rhabdomyosarcoma, that Smeltzer did.

Smeltzer remembers the 2019 meeting because he had pitched at the Rangers a day before the Herrells — who live in the Dallas area — planned to come to a game. The Twins optioned him afterward but allowed him to stay around an extra day before heading to Class AAA so he could still connect with Herrell on the field at the Rangers' old ballpark.

"There wasn't a roof back then, so it was like a million degrees," Smeltzer recalled. "He's going through his treatments, and I felt so bad. He was happy to be there, but he was absolutely miserable. I've been in his shoes and know that it was not a fun day."

When Smeltzer saw Herrell on Saturday, a lot had changed. The temperature was an air-conditioned 72 degrees, first of all, and Herrell looked so much healthier and stronger.

When Smeltzer was going through the aggressive treatments as a child in the Philadelphia area, he got to meet some of his favorite Phillies players: Chase Utley and Cole Hamels. And now Smeltzer tries to pay it forward whenever he can to inspire other young cancer fighters.

"Making the connections with people that have gone through it, it just gives you a sense of hope, light at the end of the tunnel," Smeltzer said. "… Cancer is always going to be a part of us. I'm going to have side effects that pop up here and there, and it's just part of it. But I still get to live a pretty good life."

Outfielder Nick Gordon fouled a ball off his left leg in the seventh inning Sunday. And while he stayed in the game initially, he eventually left in the bottom of the eighth. That forced Twins manager Rocco Baldelli to make some interesting moves, including losing the designated hitter by putting DH Byron Buxton in Gordon's center field position.

The Twins were able to end the game before Gordon's spot came up again, though. And Gordon's calf injury seems to be minor.

"He wasn't moving real well in the inning following the ball hitting his leg. So we'll check him out. We have the off day; we'll see how he is on Tuesday," Baldelli said. "I think he should be OK, but we'll learn more over the next day or two."

Third baseman Gio Urshela did not play Sunday as he deals with right heel discomfort. He appeared to injure it while on base in the sixth inning Saturday after hitting a double.

"Gio is a little sore this morning, but he's fine," Baldelli said. "And if he needed to be in the lineup, we could have put him out there. But instead of having him deal with that and have to fight through something, we didn't have to. So we have other options."

Reliever Joe Smith threw another bullpen Sunday as he recovers from upper trap tightness. Baldelli said he could come off the injured list Tuesday when the Brewers visit Target Field.

Starter Bailey Ober traveled to Fort Myers, Fla., Saturday and will report to the Twins facility there Monday as he works back from a groin strain.