Third baseman Miguel Sano, on a rehabilitation assignment at Class AA Pensacola, was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer to help the Blue Wahoos beat Biloxi 9-2 on Sunday. It's Sano's second home run during his rehab stint, the other coming last week when he was at Class A Fort Myers.
Miguel Sano blasts home run in Class AA rehab stint
May 7, 2019 at 5:16AM
The plan is for Sano to play a handful of games at Pensacola before moving on to Class AAA Rochester.
In four minor-league games so far, Sano is 5-for-11 with seven RBI. The homer is his only hit in two games for the Blue Wahoos, who replaced Chattanooga as the Twins' Class AA team this season.
Sano missed all of spring training camp because of laceration above his right heel. He had lost about 25 pounds during the offseason, but the inactivity brought on by having to stay off his right foot affected his conditioning. That has had to be addressed as he works his way back to the majors.
"I consider it all related," Baldelli said. "I think everything kind of works together. The better he feels and the stronger he feels the better he is going to play. The better he is going to feel in the box, the better he'll play third base, the better I think he feels as the long season gets going and we get into August and September."
Kirilloff at first
Outfielder Alex Kirilloff has begun playing some first base at Class AA Pensacola, a development worth following.
With Rosario, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler established in the Twins outfield, first base might be Kirilloff's best chance to break into the 2020 lineup.
The Twins' 2016 first-round draft pick, Kirilloff, 21, joined Pensacola last week after recovering from a wrist injury. He was 1-for-4 on Sunday and is batting .308 for the Blue Wahoos.
The Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 home games at the New York Yankees’ nearby spring training ballpark amid uncertainty about the future of hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field, Rays executives told The Associated Press.
