Red Wings Eliminated, September Callups On Their Way

With the Rochester Red Wings eliminated from the Triple-A playoffs, all of those September callups are finally going to make it to Minnesota. Seven players will join the club tonight in Minneapolis as the Twins open up a series against the Angels. A little over a week ago I took a guess at who the Twins would select for a cup of coffee, and it's safe to say I didn't hit them all.

Here's who will be in uniform tonight.

Pitchers: Scott Diamond (LHP), Michael Tonkin (RHP), Cole De Vries (RHP), Shairon Martis (RHP)

Position Players: Eduardo Escobar (2B/SS/3B), Chris Parmelee (1B), Eric Fryer (C)

Samuel Deduno and Wilkin Ramirez have both been added to the 60-day disabled list, allowing the Twins to purchase the contracts of both Fryer and Martis. Deduno's shoulder was shutting him down for the season anyway, and with what is essentially a broken shin for Ramirez he won't be back either.

Martis started three games for Rochester this season, but his primary role was as a reliever. Making 39 appearances out of the bullpen, the season ERA was a pedestrian 4.26. But decent strikeout numbers and limiting base runners makes him an intriguing option. Fryer, meanwhile, was one of the Red Wings' backup catchers all season behind Chris Herrmann, Drew Butera, and eventually Josmil Pinto. He hit .215/.339/.365 in 243 plate appearances.

The most interesting of the seven players, to me, is Tonkin. How Gardenhire uses him these last three weeks will depend entirely on how Tonkin pitches, but if he's effective it's easy to see that giving him a leg up on the competition for a bullpen job next spring. Everyone else, from Diamond to Escobar to De Vries and even Parmelee, are known quantities. They'll provide some depth and give Gardy the opportunity to mix-and-match, but I doubt that performances - good or bad - will have much of an effect on their fortunes for next season.