Twins Monday: Amid flurry of roster moves, Twins send down Polanco
MINNEAPOLIS -- Jorge Polanco's first stint in the majors was a brief one.
The Minnesota Twins announced prior to Monday's game against Kansas City that they have activated third baseman Trevor Plouffe and infielder/outfielder Eduardo Nunez from the 15-day disabled list. To make room for those two on the roster, the Twins optioned Polanco back to High-A Fort Myers and also optioned shortstop Pedro Florimon to Triple-A Rochester.
The additions of Plouffe and Nunez back to the roster give manager Ron Gardenhire a few more options when making out his lineup card. Both players were in the lineup Monday, with Plouffe batting sixth and Nunez playing shortstop and batting eighth.
"(Plouffe) says he's ready to go, feels great," Gardenhire said. "And Nunez went down on rehab and played three games, I think it was, and swung the bat well, had a triple and scored on a base hit. He announced that he's ready to go."
Polanco made his major league debut at just 20 years and 356 days old, bypassing Double A and Triple A in the process. In doing so, he became the youngest Twins player since Joe Mauer to make his debut. Polanco played in four games, going 2-for-5 with a triple and three RBI during that short time.
Despite his brief time with the Twins, Polanco left a good impression on his skipper.
"He's definitely got things to work on," Gardenhire said. "But once the game started, he played fantastic out there. He made some great plays. He made them to the left, to the right, at him. . . . He was great. It was fun to see. He can really fly. We saw him have some really good at-bats and run the bases. It's exciting to see young players like that get a chance to come up here, kind of forced into action, and handle themselves very well."
Plouffe and Nunez were both hurt in the same game on June 14. Plouffe, tied for the team lead with 38 RBI, suffered a rib injury, while Nunez strained his right hamstring. Nunez has played in 25 games for Minnesota this season, batting .290 with 11 RBI.
Florimon began the season as the Twins' starting shortstop but was sent to Rochester after he struggled offensively. His latest go-round in the majors lasted two weeks, although he played in just eight games and was 0-for-11 at the plate.
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