Twins reliever Brock Stewart will begin season on injured list

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Brock Stewart threw around 20 pitches in a minor league game Saturday against the Boston Red Sox’s Class AAA club, but it’ll likely be a couple of weeks before he is pitching in a major league game.

Stewart was informed he will begin the season on the Twins’ 15-day injured list. His buildup this spring was slightly delayed after he underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery last August, and he exited an outing March 15 with a minor hamstring issue.

“We have to keep our eyes open to the end goal here, which isn’t just the start of the season,” Twins head trainer Nick Paparesta said last week. “It’s the whole season.”

The Twins have two relievers — Stewart and Michael Tonkin — who will begin the season on the IL, along with third baseman Royce Lewis. The expectation is Stewart will be ready to join the Twins in mid-April.

During Saturday’s minor league game, Stewart threw around 20 pitches with manager Rocco Baldelli, pitching coach Pete Maki and General Manager Jeremy Zoll watching nearby.

Stewart allowed a home run to Nathan Hickey on his last pitch, staying on the mound after retiring his first three batters to reach his pitch count. With a fastball sitting at 95-96 mph, Stewart struck out Vaughn Grissom before he induced a groundout and a flyout.

The 33-year-old Stewart said he understood the Twins’ decision to put him on the IL, but he wished he could break camp with the big-league club. Stewart, still working on improving his command of his pitches, has showcased his typical velocity range during camp.

With Stewart unavailable for the start of the season, three relievers remain in big-league camp with one spot open in the bullpen: a pair of righthanders, Rule 5 pick Eiberson Castellano and Scott Blewett, and lefty Anthony Misiewicz. The latter two pitchers are non-roster invitees to camp and out of minor league options if they are added to the 40-man roster.

Castellano pitched two scoreless innings during the Twins' 2-1 loss Saturday to the Toronto Blue Jays at Hammond Stadium. He permitted two hits and a walk, and he struck out a batter.

“I’m calm right now,” Castellano said through team interpreter Mauricio Ortiz. “I leave those things to God. Right now, I come here, do what I have to do, and at the end of the day, the manager is the one that’s going to make the decision.”

Castellano has totaled 10 walks and 13 strikeouts over 10 ⅔ innings this spring.

“He’s a 23-year-old young man with a very bright future who gave everything that he could possibly give in spring training this year,” said Baldelli, who noted he has not yet spoken with Castellano about his roster status. “He was very focused. He worked very hard for us and threw the ball pretty well.”

Blewett started Saturday’s game and yielded one run on two hits and a walk while recording a strikeout. Misiewicz is scheduled to pitch Sunday.

It’s possible the Twins could add a reliever who was cut by another team, too.

“Our roster is not complete right now,” Baldelli said. “We haven’t made all our decisions yet. We’re close to the end of camp, but it’s not unusual for a roster to come together in the last day, two days of spring training. We have a number of guys that competed really well in this camp that are still vying for a spot or two that are open. Both on the pitching side and the position player side.”

Brooks Lee didn’t participate in on-field pregame drills Saturday as he recovers from lower back tightness.

Lee hasn’t played since he was scratched from the lineup Thursday, and he is not expected to play Sunday when the Twins travel across town to face the Red Sox.

The longer Lee is sidelined, the greater the chance he will begin the season on the 10-day injured list, but the Twins have not made that determination.