The Minnesota Twins made a somewhat surprising roster move Sunday night, optioning shortstop Danny Santana to Triple-A Rochester.
The team will recall first baseman/designated hitter Kennys Vargas before Monday's game against the Kansas City Royals, who sit just one game behind the Twins for first place in the AL Central.
Santana had been struggling at the plate as of late, hitting just .218 with a .235 on-base percentage and a .291 slugging percentage in 179 at-bats. He had 49 strikeouts and just two walks so far this season.
Manager Paul Monitor said Santana has been pressing at the plate and hopes that he'll be able to find his swing while at Triple-A.
"He's just a kid who has fun when he's playing well, and it hasn't been very pleasurable for him as of late," Molitor said via The Pioneer Press. "You can see the struggle. (This will) remove the burden of trying to get hits for awhile. Even though that's what you want to do, it's a little different spotlight."
Eduardo Escobar will now assume the bulk of the shortstop duties for the foreseeable future with Eduardo Nunez serving as his backup.
Vargas, who was optioned to Rochester on May 17, will likely be plugged in as the team's designated hitter. He produced a .308/.403/.519 slash line with two doubles, three homers and eight RBI in 16 games at Rochester. Molitor indicated that Torii Hunter will return to the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
(h/t MLB.com, Pioneer Press)
