Twins rotation, by necessity, remains a work in progress

DETROIT – After Bailey Ober started Wednesday and Chris Archer takes the mound Thursday, the Twins' starting rotation turns into a question mark.

With Joe Ryan unavailable because of COVID-19 and Sonny Gray working through a sore right pectoral muscle, the Twins haven't revealed who will start Friday's game in Toronto. The team will likely have to call up a spot starter from Class AAA.

Dylan Bundy will start Saturday and Devin Smeltzer will make his fifth start this season Sunday.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Gray is making steady improvements, and he watched the pitcher play some catch on the field ahead of Wednesday's game. But Gray might still find himself on the 15-day injured list.

"It becomes tough because you don't really want to have a spot on the roster that no one's really using," Baldelli said. "It's going to probably be on the line with this one as far as what we do. We may end up even having to make a decision that we don't really want to make in order to function better as a team."

Gray already spent a stint on the IL earlier this year because of a hamstring injury.

Max Kepler, who was the designated hitter in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader, should make his return to right field, despite a quad injury, on Thursday.

Some members of the Twins traveling party tested positive for COVID, including radio broadcasters Cory Provus and Kris Atteberry.

Dan Gladden and Tim Laudner were on the call for WCCO during Wednesday's game and will do so again Thursday, watching the games on TV from Target Field. Glen Perkins will then join Gladden for the weekend series in Toronto, also from Target Field.

The Twins already have three players down with COVID in Ryan, outfielder Gilberto Celestino and shortstop Carlos Correa. Baldelli said Ryan is improving, and Celestino has already begun testing negative. If he can do so two consecutive days, he can rejoin the team. When Bundy and Luis Arraez returned from their bouts with COVID earlier this season, they both needed a couple extra days to become game-ready.

This is all in addition to a group of players who will go on the COVID list during the Toronto series, as they are unvaccinated and thus cannot travel to Canada.

"It's very frustrating," outfielder Trevor Larnach said of the recent COVID issues. "It's obviously harping guys' playing time, it's harping them being able to help us produce. … Ever since the first wave, it's kind of been nonstop with staff members and players."

Alcala improving

Pitcher Jorge Alcala dealt with right elbow inflammation throughout spring training. And while he made the Opening Day roster and came in as a reliever for two early games for the Twins, he ultimately ended up on the 60-day injured list. The 26-year-old is eligible to return June 10 and has already started a rehab assignment with Class A Fort Myers.

He was actually supposed to pitch in Tuesday's game, but a lengthy rain delay postponed those plans.

"He's been throwing the ball very well. I think he was even 96-97 [mph] the last time he went out there off a mound, and that sounds good to me," Baldelli said. "That means he's feeling pretty good. In spring training, we didn't see the normal version of him, the guy that we've seen for a long time."