With the Twins kicking off a stretch of 16 games in 16 days on Tuesday, the club is looking to call up a pitcher and have him take a turn in the rotation to give their starters an extra day of rest in the coming days.
But don’t expect that to be Kenta Maeda.
The Twins plan to have the veteran starter make at least one more rehab start — this one scheduled for Friday in Louisville — as he comes back from a triceps strain that landed him on the injured list on April 29. It will be Maeda’s fourth rehab start for the Triple-A Saints.
“I feel ready right now,” Maeda said through interpreter Daichi Sekizaki. “That’s up to the team to make that decision.”
Maeda threw four scoreless innings in his last start, giving up three hits and striking out five. He threw 60 pitches in that game. The 35-year-old said his velocity is coming back, his command was there and mechanics-wise, he was satisfied with where he is.
Still, the Twins want to be cautious with his return.
“The goal is to not bring him back as he’s kind of getting to the point where he’s ready to come back,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We want to make sure he’s confidently throwing the ball and he holds up to the demands of a full outing and comes back fine before we bring him back.”
Maeda, who missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2021, had a tough start to the season, dealing with fatigue and then an ankle issue after he was struck by a comebacker.
At the time he was placed on the injured list, he had made four starts, posting a 9.00 earned-run average. He left three of those starts alongside a team trainer.
“Coming off a long rehab, a Tommy John rehab, I didn’t expect myself to be 100 percent and perfectly pitching. Game one was good, but then there was still the fatigue in my arm,” Maeda said. “Being placed on the IL for just over a month now, I’m just trying to take the positive out of being out of the game. Going over some mechanics, that was misaligned with the inflammation. Just taking the time to go over some mechanical stuff. I’m just trying to stay positive. “
As for who might take a turn in the Twins’ rotation, Baldelli said they would do anything they could to “make this 16-game stretch work and help our starters.”
“The plan right now is to find a way to insert someone along the way this week,” Baldelli said. “Just what day and how it’s all going to work, we’ll wait to get into the details.”
Buxton update
The Twins welcomed Joey Gallo (hamstring) back from the Injured List on Tuesday, optioning Kyle Garlick back to Triple-A to make room on the roster. It’s possible he’s not the only regular who will soon be making a return.
The Twins are hoping designated hitter Byron Buxton, who is out with bruised ribs after getting hit by a fastball on June 1, will be able to return soon, with Baldelli saying he was “getting close.”
“He’s been swinging. We want to make sure that when he comes back that he’s not restricted, that he’s not in pain, that he’s not sore,” Baldelli said. “The sharp pain, the real pain that he was dealing with, that’s gone. But there’s some lingering … some soreness, and that’s why he’s not active today. He still needs a few more days.”
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June 14, 2023 at 07:55AM
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Twins plan for spot start in upcoming busy stretch but not yet ready for Kenta Maeda’s return - St. Paul Pioneer Press
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