Twins recall outfielder Ryan LaMarre

The Twins announced Tuesday morning that they have recalled outfielder Ryan LaMarre to the big league club. LaMarre will take the active roster spot of Phil Hughes, who was designated for assignment after Monday night’s game.

It might seem a bit weird that the Twins are calling up another outfielder, given they already have five on the active roster — Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Robbie Grossman, and Jake Cave. (To be fair, I’m not sure how much Grossman really counts as an outfielder, since he mostly pinch hits and DHs.) LaMarre does, however, bring another right-handed bat to the Twins bench and/or lineup, which will probably be helpful given the Twins are scheduled to face a slew of left-handed starters in their upcoming games against the Tigers, Mariners, and Cleveland. My guess, however, is that the Twins will make another roster move following Wednesday’s day game, most likely swapping Jake Cave for another pitcher like Alan Busenitz (who hasn’t allowed a single run over six appearances since he was last sent down to Triple-A).

LaMarre, of course, was the dark horse who somehow made the Twins Opening Day roster this year. Over the 20 games he’s played in the majors in 2018, he’s hit .324/.395/.324 with three walks and no home runs (yet).

Still, it does feel a bit odd, especially given this front office, that they are going with 12 pitchers and 13 position players for the time being. Let’s hope Lance Lynn doesn’t blow up tonight.