Movers & Shakers

The Twins are in the process of making a few roster moves that are worth noting.

Josh Willingham is away from the team for the next 2 to 3 games on paternity leave (congratulations Josh!) meaning the earliest we can expect him back is likely for Saturday’s game.

This allows the Twins to call up some help from AAA in the form of Ben Revere. Obviously, the offense is going to suffer without Willingham’s bat in the lineup, especially since Revere is a completely different hitter than Willingham. However, Revere is a solid defensive option and will likely only stick with the team for the 3 days that Willingham is away.

The rumblings around the Twins seem to indicate that Thursday’s off day will likely see the Twins make another roster move. The team is carrying 13 pitchers, which has left the bench a little thin over the past few games. Jeff Gray will likely be the pitcher to be sent down, but that is certainly not set in stone.

With Jamey Carroll and Alexi Casilla the only true middle infielder’s on the roster (Plouffe works well in a pinch, but he is meant for the outfield) the Twins are expected to call up a 2B/SS backup to give Casilla or Carroll a few games off.

The popular notion seemed to be that Tsuyoshi Nishioka would likely get a second chance at the majors and be a utility bench player for the Twins for the foreseeable future. However, Nishioka injured his ankle and was placed on the 7 day DL on Monday.

Things became a little more interesting yesterday, when Ron Gardenhire talked about Brian Dozier. “He’s definitely the top guy down there, there’s no doubt about that.” Dozier has outplayed Nishioka in AAA this season and has vaulted over him on the depth chart. The only thing that stopped the hot hitting Dozier from making the opening day roster in the first place was the issue of playing time. With Casilla struggling and Dozier continuing to play very well in the minors, it might be hard for the Twins to leave him down there any longer.

I’d wager Dozier gets the call and is allowed to start for 3 to 4 games (in place of Casilla, then in place of Carroll). If he can show the ability to play good defense and get on base, I think he’ll stick in the majors.

At this point, the plan for the Twins obviously isn’t work too well. They have the amazing ability to leave runners in scoring position and cannot seem to come up with a clutch hit when needed. The bottom of the order (Valencia, Casilla, Thomas, Plouffe) have especially struggled with this. Maybe a new bat and some fresh energy are what this team needs to get rolling again.

I’d like to see Dozier bat in Casilla’s spot (9^th) and see how much that changes the offense. If Dozier can keep up his great hitting, suddenly your #9 hitter is on base to be followed by Span, Carroll and Mauer (all three of which are hitting very well this year). Suddenly a stagnant offense turns into a more efficient – run scoring – offense.

Obviously this is all speculation as we don’t even know if the Twins will send down their 13^th pitcher or if they will call up Dozier if given the chance. I’m hoping they do – and I’m hoping Dozier proves that he deserves the starting 2B role over Casilla. We’ll find out on Thursday when the Twins have an off day. Until then,

Go Twins!