The Minnesota Twins are taking action: After persistent weakness of form, they send former all-star Miguel Sano to the Single-A team in Fort Myers/Florida.
Manager Paul Molitor announced the move after the 3-1 defeat against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday. He stated that he was not dissatisfied with the Third Baseman’s efforts, but that the 25-year-old should now work on all parts of his game in peace.
“We send him down to give him a chance to get back on track,” Molitor told reporters, adding: “We don’t feel we’re getting the production we need from him. And he needs to go downstairs and get to work.”
Joe Mauer, who will be activated by the Disabled List on Friday, is expected to take the now vacant position in the 25-player squad. He had been out of action since May 19 with a concussion and complaints in the neck area.
“I am not angry,” Sano said to a degradation: “I am happy because I know I have to fight and Molitor gives me a chance. There’s no reason I should be mad.”
Sano beats .203 this season with seven home runs and 27 RBI. He has a .675 OPS with an 84 OPS+, that is, he beats 16 percent worse than the league average. Last year his OPS+ was 128, the second-best value in his four-year MLB career. Accordingly, he was elected to the All-Star team of the American League in 2017.
“We’re not going to go the traditional way and just get him At-Bats in Triple-A,” Derek Falvey, the Chief Baseball Officer of the Twins told the star tribune and explained that Sano will receive detailed instructions from the local coaching staff at the Twins’ jump training complex in Fort Myers to re-establish his momentum from scratch if necessary. In addition, one can do “a great many things in the areas of strength and endurance”, which should also help the player.
This article was published without previous view by the Major League Baseball.