Surplus turns to shortage awfully fast this year, as the Twins have discovered in their starting rotation, their bullpen, their infield and now, perhaps, their outfield.
One day after Gilberto Celestino tested positive for COVID-19, potentially sidelining him for a week, Max Kepler left Saturday's game in the fifth inning because of tightness in his right quad. The Twins sent their right fielder for a magnetic resonance imaging exam, "just to take a look," manager Rocco Baldelli said.
"It could go either way with Kep right now," Baldelli said of the possibility of putting him on the injured list, where four other outfielders have landed already this year. "It's something he's been playing through for a little while now."
The Twins have fielded their projected starting outfield of Alex Kirilloff, Byron Buxton and Kepler together only seven times in 47 games this season, and backups Kyle Garlick, Trevor Larnach and Celestino have gone on the injured list as well.
Coulombe back on IL
Danny Coulombe felt completely healed from his hip impingement just a few days after it happened, and the extra time off while he waited for his 15-day injured list status to expire seemed like overkill.
Then he took the mound.
The injury returned during his brief five-batter appearance on Friday, "probably worse this time," the lefthander said. Coulombe went back on the injured list Saturday, and it'll be longer than 15 days this time, he believes.
The Twins filled his spot, and that of Yennier Cano, who was optioned to St. Paul the night before, by adding lefthander Jovani Moran and righthander Juan Minaya from Class AAA St. Paul. Both pitched on Saturday, Minaya allowing two runs in 2⅓ innings, and Moran one hit, which allowed Minaya's runs to score, in 1⅔ innings.