Twins activate Miguel Sano, option Jake Cave

It was predictable that the Twins would make a roster move Thursday, seeing as they currently have six outfielders on the active roster, but the move wasn’t the one I expected. Instead of calling up another arm for the bullpen, the Twins activated Miguel Sano from the disabled list and optioned Jake Cave to Triple-A Rochester.

Don’t get me wrong, having Sano back will be great for the Twins and was not entirely unexpected. Before going on the disabled list with a strained hamstring, Sano hit .213/.289/.450 with five home runs through twenty games (small sample size alert). During his five-game rehab stint in Triple-A, however, Sano went 6-for-16 (.375) with two home runs and three walks (small sample size, but let’s jut go with it because of the power of positive thinking).

The reason I’m a bit surprised the Twins didn’t call up an arm is that the team is currently carrying 13 position players and 12 pitchers. Over the past year, the Twins front office has usually shown a tendency to err on the side of having more pitchers than position players. The team could have easily DFAed Gregorio Petit — who has a good chance of passing waivers unclaimed — to make room for Sano, and then optioned Cave to call up another arm.

But... hey, I don’t know? They’re the experts. Perhaps the front office is feeling more confident in the starting rotation these days, or maybe they are still iffy on Sano’s (or another infielders’) health and defense. In any case, it looks like the team will head off to Seattle to take on the Mariners this weekend with 13 position players and 12 pitchers.