BALTIMORE – Like a good Netflix series, there are all sorts of seemingly unrelated plot twists taking place in the Twins outfield, which might — or might not — be resolved with a surprise ending.
Start with the backstory: Center fielder Byron Buxton and Jake Cave are injured and out for a while, as is left fielder Luis Arraez. Then absorb last week's dramatic development, Max Kepler's hamstring acting up and forcing him to the injured list.
That led to Monday's surprise revelation, that the Scott Barlow slider that bashed Trevor Larnach's left foot Sunday left him in such pain, he was wearing a walking boot when the team flew to Baltimore. He received treatment instead of playing in Monday's 3-2, 10-inning victory, but the rookie was still in pain afterward.
"He's just not moving around great," manager Rocco Baldelli said of Larnach, who was batting .357 with two home runs over his past six games.
Kyle Garlick filled in Monday, but the only other plausible outfielder on the bench was Willians Astudillo. And as a reminder of how things are going for the Twins, Rob Refsnyder, who in three weeks has gone from "never-played-the-position-in-the-majors" to everyday center fielder, ran headlong at full speed into the wall Monday while pursuing Ryan Mountcastle's home run.
"They should take a look at that fence" for damage," Baldelli deadpanned. "He might have shaken himself up a little bit. He flat-out ran into it. The trainers went back to him multiple times to make sure he was doing OK."
Meanwhile, the Twins promoted Gilberto Celestino, a 22-year-old Dominican who happens to be an accomplished defender in center, from Class AA Wichita to Class AAA St. Paul. Celestino, who is on the 40-man roster, has already cleared the COVID-19 protocols that players must fulfill upon reaching AAA, making him eligible for further promotion.
The Twins won't say whether the latter twist is related to the plot devices that came before it. But as of Monday, Larnach was still hobbling around on a sore ankle, too.