Twins pitcher Brent Headrick was prepared for his second callup

Brent Headrick's three-game debut as a big-leaguer in April left him certain about what he needed to do when he was returned to Class AAA: learn a new pitch.

"I want to stay a starter, so you need a third pitch to be more effective," he said Saturday, shortly after being recalled from the Saints. "I figured it was time to add something. So I've been developing a splitter."

It's been going well, the lefthander said. "I've been able to kill some speed difference, get some more depth on it, add to the repertoire," he said. "It's good for keeping hitters off-balance. Working on that, to go with my fastball and slider, has made me more effective."

So he was ready for the Tigers when summoned on his first day back, and sure enough, Headrick was effective. He faced eight hitters, struck out a couple, walked one and gave up only one hit, a Miguel Cabrera double.

And how many splitters did he throw? Exactly zero.

"I didn't need to throw it!" he said after being awarded the game ball by manager Rocco Baldelli for recording his first major league victory. "Our game plan dictated something different, so we just went and attacked their weaknesses, I guess."

Of his 35 pitches, 24 were fastballs, 10 sliders and one changeup, according to MLB's StatCast system. More important, 24 of them were strikes.

"He threw a ton of strikes, but even though he was in the strike zone, there weren't a lot of great swings off him," Baldelli said, describing his memory of Hendrick's April debut, when he earned a three-inning save at Boston.

To make room for Headrick, who was informed early last week that a return to the majors was being considered, the Twins returned Josh Winder to St. Paul. Winder gave up a solo homer but no other runs in four innings over two games last week, with five strikeouts, and earned a victory Tuesday against Milwaukee.

• With lefthander Joey Wentz starting for the Tigers, Twins right fielder Max Kepler wasn't in the starting lineup for the second day in a row despite being "fine, physically," according to Baldelli. It's the first time since 2019 that Kepler, who has batted .149 since returning from the injured list on May 29, has missed back-to-back games for a non-injury reason.

• The Twins have not yet decided what Kenta Maeda's next step is, after the righthander posted a 2.03 ERA in four rehab starts for the Saints. "The reports were [that] he looked good. And we're going to wait until he gets back here and sit down and talk to him and work through what's next," Baldelli said. "I have nothing to add to that, but I'm sure we will [decide] in a day or two. Overall, we liked what we saw last time out."

• Blayne Enlow got roughed up in his Class AAA debut, giving up eight runs on seven hits, including two home runs, in three-plus innings as the Saints lost at Louisville 12-1.