Zack Granite beats manager to the office on first day as a Twin

Zack Granite landed in the Twin Cities at around 12:30 last night and was one of the first ones in the clubhouse this morning. He wanted to report to manager Paul Molitor, but even he wasn't at the park yet.

"So I was just standing here, admiring the clubhouse," Granite said. "It was cool."

Granite comes from Class AAA Rochester, where he was batting .360 and is one of the surprise stories in the minors this season. Not considered a top Twins prospect, Granite hit .470 in June and opened eyes.

The Twins decided to call Granite up now since Ervin Santana won't pitch until next Saturday in Houston, which allows them to carry an extra position player. Whether or not Granite gets a start is up for grabs. He's not in the lineup today because there is a lefthander on the mound in Wade Miley.

Plus, the Twins are sitting second in the AL Central with their outfield of Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler. While some fans think Buxton is in danger of losing at bats, that couldn't be further from the truth. Twins manager Paul Molitor said he will try to get Granite a start, but wasn't sure if he could.

Granite meanwhile, has a group of 12 family members and friends here for whenever he debuts. There are a lot of teachers in the Granite family, so their summers are open.

"This is the dream," Zack said. "This is where I want to be. So I'll take it from here."

Optimistic on Mauer

Molitor remained optimistic that Joe Mauer will be healthy enough to play when he's due to come off of the DL next Saturday. He said Mauer has made good progress over the last couple of days, increasing that likelihood.

Mauer injured his lower back while running the bases during Tuesday's win over the Angels.

Molitor said there's a good chance Granite will be with the team on Friday when the Twins open a three-game series in Houston. That means there could be a few roster moves that day, as Mauer, they hope, will be activated and the Twins decided if they want to go back to 13 pitchers or not.

Rotation switch

Since Ervin Santana is pitching on Tuesday in the All-Star Game, the Twins are going to give him one extra day off. So Jose Berrios will pitch the opener in Houston, followed by Santana then Kyle Gibson. Adalberto Mejia is set up to start on Monday, July 17 against the Yankees at Target Field. That means Bartolo Colon, who was signed to a minor league contract on Friday, could make his Twins debut the next night against New York.

Orioles

Joey Rickhard, Lf
Manny Machado, 3B
Jonathan Schoop, SS
Adam Jones, CF
Mark Trumbo, DH
Trey Mancini, 1B
Wellington Castillo, C
Johnny Giavotella, 2B
Craig Gentry, RF

Wade Miley, LHP

Twins

Brian Dozier, 2B
Eduardo Escobar, 3B
Miguel Sano, DH
Robbie Grossman, RF
Kennys Vargas, 1B
Eddie Rosario, LF
Ehire Adrianza, SS
Byron Buxton, CF
Jason Castro, C

Adalberto Mejia, LHP