Jose Berrios to start Saturday

The Twins, in need of a starting pitcher this weekend, had a couple choices. They could run Nick Tepesch back out there again, despite a suboptimal result from his previous effort (the defense did him no favors, but still). They could turn to Adam Wilk, who last started on Sunday for the New York Mets in place of dildo prank enthusiast Matt Harvey. Or they could call up their best pitching prospect, who has steamrolled Triple-A hitters all spring.

Somehow, they made the right decision.

Jose Berrios will be your starter on Saturday against Cleveland, in a move that traditional media, social media, and your friends and relatives are applauding.

It’s hard to argue against the move. Via Gleems, he’s pitched 230 innings at Rochester, posting a 2.51 ERA and a 250/61 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has nothing left to prove there, and needs to sink or swim in the majors (see also: Buxton, Byron).

The only reason not to have him in the majors already, besides the presence of five starters before Adalberto Mejia’s demotion, is that he was not good at all in his 2016 major league appearances. Of the many, many disappointments of last season, Berrios being entirely overwhelmed is right up there as the biggest.

Again, though: We know he can handle Triple-A pitching. The Twins need to find out if he can handle the majors. If Ervin Santana gets moved or the reincarnation of Phil Hughes bottoms out, the Twins will need arms anyway. No big deal, as Berrios is only the linchpin of the rotation’s future.

And it starts this weekend.

(If he gets sent back down immediately please disregard this post.)