Twins' confident Trevor Larnach had to bide his time before big-league call-up

DETROIT – From the day Trevor Larnach first signed with the Twins, he knew he was ready to play in the big leagues.

But the 2018 first-round draft pick (20th overall) out of Oregon State bided his time until the Twins came to that same conclusion.

"He was just waiting for us to call his name and bring him up," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said before Saturday's game against the Tigers. "He's a guy who has a ton of confidence, and he's out there determined. You can see it in his face, in the way he plays the game."

The Twins saw that firsthand at Comerica Park, when Larnach made his debut vs. the Tigers batting fifth and manning left field. Called up Friday, the outfielder took the place of Byron Buxton, who went on the 10-day injury list because of a right hip sprain. This MLB moment has been emotional for the 24-year-old, who went from crying tears of joy upon learning of his call-up to remembering the fire that fuels him on the field.

"There's a point in me where when I fail a certain amount of times, I get very, very angry, and that channels itself into their own at-bats, to the point where I can't just accept failure," Larnach said. "… There comes a point where I just, I don't care what anybody thinks. I don't care what's going on. And that just helps me ultimately just play my game."

Larnach went 0-for-4 in his debut and left six runners on base.

The Twins made another roster move Saturday, selecting righthander Derek Law's contract from Class AAA St. Paul and optioning Cody Stashak to the Saints. Stashak gave up a three-run homer to Willi Castro on Friday night, the only runs the Tigers scored in a 7-3 loss.

Law, 30, made his Twins debut in the seventh inning Saturday, inheriting a bases-loaded situation from Tyler Duffey. It didn't go well; all three runners scored and a fourth scored as well, as the Tigers increased their lead from 3-2 to 7-2.

In the corresponding 40-man roster move, the Twins designated infielder Travis Blankenhorn for release or assignment. Blankenhorn played in one game this season, a 13-12 loss at Oakland on April 21, where he committed a critical error in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Lefthander Brandon Waddell, designated for assignment Friday to free a spot on the 40-man roster for Larnach, was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles, who sent him to their Class AAA Norfolk team. Waddell made two appearances against Texas at Target Field this past week and gave up home runs in each game, taking the loss in Tuesday's 10-inning defeat.

Catcher Mitch Garver was not in the lineup Saturday after leaving Friday's game because of right shoulder inflammation. Baldelli said Garver's shoulder is still sore, so Ben Rortvedt started in his place.

"But Garv's adamant that he'll be able to start and catch [Sunday]," Baldelli said. "… He could use a little bit of time right now, and I think that all that going on just kind of made the decision to catch Ben [Saturday] all the more straightforward and easier."

Baldelli also said Alex Kirilloff, who received a cortisone injection for a sprained right wrist Friday, would start taking light swings in the near future to see if he can play through the pain. If he can't, surgery could be an option.

"Right now we're going to continue to just let him rest and begin to test this out and see where he's at," Baldelli said. "We're several steps away, I think, from making any type of decision."

Luis Arraez, also on the injury list because of a concussion, started baseball activities Saturday by playing catch. If his recovery continues smoothly, he could return during the Chicago White Sox series, which begins Tuesday.