Twins announce first cuts from camp

It was getting to be time that major-league teams started making their first cuts of Spring Training 2020. The Minnesota Twins decided to make their first round of roster cuts today after a 3-0 loss to the St Louis Cardinals in Grapfruite League play.

Seven players have been reassigned to minor-league camp:

• P Lewis Thorpe
• P Jhoan Duran
• P Dakota Chalmers
• P Jorge Alcala
• INF/OF Travis Blankenhorn
• OF Gilberto Celestino
• SS Nick Gordon

A bit of a surprise is seeing Thorpe on this list. He was in a group of starting pitchers that were competing for the final spot in the big-league rotation. However, he left camp for a few days to tend to some personal matters and he has not seen any time on the mound since returning. The fifth spot in the rotation is now up for grabs between Randy Dobnak, Devin Smeltzer, and Jhoulys Chacin.

Duran had pitched in two innings in two games, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out three. Chalmers got in one inning of work, striking out the side. Alcala pitched five innings in five games, including in the Dominican Republic. He allowed six hits, four earned runs, and four walks while striking out five batters.

As for the position players, a small surprise is seeing Gordon moving to the minor-league camps as he has only seen three games after dealing with a gastrointestinal illness. He got a hit, a run, and an RBI in six at-bats. Blankenhorn went 2-for-13 with a double, three RBI, two walks, and four strikeouts. Celestino went 3-for-20 with a double, a homer, three RBI, a walk, and six strikeouts.

Another small note is that the Twins placed pitcher Fernando Romero on the restricted list due to his visa issues. This has no impact on his situation, according to Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. As he’s not in camp, it is purely a procedural move. There’s still no expected timetable for his return.

Minnesota now has 57 players remaining in camp.