Twins trim down pitching staff, obstructed path rule gets tested

With only two weeks remaining until the Twins head north, the team thinned its pitching staff Monday to give both major leaguers and minor leaguers more work.

Lefthander Brent Headrick and righthanders Simeon Woods Richardson and Matt Canterino were optioned to Class AAA St. Paul, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. Righthander David Festa, who is not on the 40-man roster, was assigned to minor league camp.

“These guys need to go prepare themselves, get stretched out, stay on their plan in minor league camp, where they can get all the attention they need,” Baldelli said. “And we can give our attention in the major league clubhouse to the guys who are likely to make the team.”

Headrick and Woods Richardson, each of whom made relief appearances for the Twins last season, will focus on remaining starting pitchers in St. Paul, Baldelli said, though they can move to the bullpen if the Twins need them again later.

The manager had praise for the work they’ve done in camp.

“Those guys had good camps. We should be pleased with the adjustments and the improvements that those guys made,” Baldelli said. “They are better than they were when they left last year, both of them.”

After rookie shortstop Brooks Lee was thrown out on a tag play at third base against Atlanta, Baldelli came out of the dugout between innings to ask the umpires whether they thought third baseman Luke Williams had obstructed Lee’s path to the base. That rule is receiving new emphasis this season, with umpires told to award the base to runners when fielders intentionally block the bag.

“It looked like [Williams] caught the ball in front of the bag, and Brooks would not have been able to get to the bag. I just wanted to ask what they saw and how they would think about that play,” Baldelli said. “There wasn’t a lot of contact on the play, and Brooks was clearly out,” but it’s not clear how umpires will implement the rule.

Baldelli said he believes most umpires will look for “explicit and obvious contact,” Baldelli said, “which probably makes the most sense anyway. Really, I want to know what to teach our defenders and what to teach our baserunners, as far as how to play the game in the best possible way.”

* Anthony DeSclafani, who battled elbow soreness earlier in camp, threw 25 pitches in a live batting practice session Monday, the first time he has faced hitters in two weeks. DeSclafani gave up a home run to Max Kepler to right field, but three pitches later, he broke Jose Miranda’s bat with an inside pitch that jammed the first baseman.

* Catcher Ryan Jeffers returned to camp Monday, following his wife’s announcement last week that the couple’s unborn son had died. The team is leaving Jeffers’ participation up to him, Baldelli said.

“There will absolutely be special consideration for him. We’ve sat with him already. We’ll continue to do so, to give him everything he needs, both on and off the field,” the manager said. “There’s nothing but a loose plan on the baseball side right now.”