Dozier received warmly in return to Twin Cities

MINNEAPOLIS -- Nationals second baseman Brian Dozier started only one of the three games at Target Field in his return to the Twin Cities this week, but the Minnesota faithful that watched Dozier blossom into an All-Star second baseman, Gold Glove Award winner, team leader and fan favorite through his seven seasons with the Twins made sure to show the former star their love.

Before Dozier stepped to the plate for his first at-bat against left-hander Martin Perez in the first inning of Wednesday's game, Dozier received a standing ovation from the 20,062 fans at Target Field and doffed his helmet in a tribute to the fans.

Dozier also received a pregame video tribute before Tuesday's series opener and emerged from the visitors' dugout along the third-base line to receive a warm ovation from the Twins fans that had grown to love the former eighth-round Draft selection through his decorated career in Minnesota.

The 32-year-old Dozier admitted that he never thought such a moment would come, as he had expected to remain a lifelong member of the Twins while he developed his career and relationships in Minnesota.

"If you spend four or five or six years [somewhere], everyone thinks they’re going to remain somewhere, and I definitely thought that up until the day I got traded, to be honest with you," Dozier said. "But we’ve taken it good."

Dozier participated in the Home Run Derby in 2014, was named to his first career All-Star team in '15, hit 42 homers in '16 and won the American League Gold Glove Award in '17, before he was traded to the Dodgers at last season's Trade Deadline for left-hander Devin Smeltzer -- a current member of the Twins' bullpen -- and power-hitting outfielder Luke Raley.

"To be honest with you guys, the whole trade stuff and all that, it was a tough time, not only for myself, but for my wife," Dozier said. "When you put so much in an organization and everything and everything's kind of uprooted and you kind of go out west and start playing kind of thing, it was a change of pace and something we had to adapt to. It took us a while to really embrace moving on, I guess, if that makes sense."

For Dozier, who anchored the Twins' power production throughout his time in Minnesota, it has been a lot of fun to watch the Bomba Squad blossom in 2019, headlined by several of the young stars that he nurtured and helped to develop during his Twins career.

"It’s been awesome for me to see what [Max] Kepler's doing, [Jorge] Polanco, [Jake] Odorizzi throwing the ball, [Kyle Gibson] -- those are the guys I played with for so long, and to see especially some of the young guys kind of come into their own and be really, really good, elite players, I kind of knew that they were going to be," Dozier said. "It’s kind of cool for me to see that. I’m happy for every single one of them.

"I hope they win the division and go deep and a Nats-Twins World Series matchup. That’d be great for everybody, right?"

Gibson named Twins' nominee for 2019 Roberto Clemente Award

Gibson was announced on Thursday as the Twins' nominee for the 2019 Roberto Clemente Award, which recognizes the Major League player who best represents the game and the spirit of the late Clemente through character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions on and off the field.

The overall winner of the Roberto Clemente Award will be selected by a combination of panel and fan vote later this season. Fans can vote until Sept. 29 at MLB.com/clemente21.

The Twins nominated Gibson for his work with charitable initiatives throughout his career. Gibson and his wife, Elizabeth, have worked with One Child Matters to provide food, education and medical aid for a child in the Dominican Republic and have also worked with Bright Hope Ministries and Help One Now to provide financial and operational support for a high school in Haiti.

Gibson also serves as vice president of Big League Impact, a nonprofit that works with Major League players to advance community efforts in local communities. Gibson was the recipient of the 2017 Carl R. Pohlad Award by the Twins Community Fund, recognizing outstanding community service by a current Twins player.

"From his first years in our organization, Kyle’s commitment to community service has been an inspiration -- a passion for effecting change has only grown in size and scope," Twins president Dave St. Peter said. "The work that Kyle, his wife, Elizabeth, and the Gibson family engages in to better lives throughout Twins Territory and abroad deserves celebration and our thanks."

Injury updates

• Third baseman Miguel Sano was expected to take "around 50 swings" in the cage before Thursday's game as he recovers from back soreness that has kept him off the field since Saturday. He underwent imaging on his back earlier this week, which revealed no damage.

• Kepler was also expected to swing in the cage on Thursday after MRIs on his sore left shoulder area also showed no damage. Kepler swung without issues on Wednesday.

• Outfielder Jake Cave also felt good after he took swings and did some mobility work on Thursday as part of his recovery from a pulled left groin.

• Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said that his expectation is that every injured Minnesota player will be on the upcoming road trip to Cleveland this weekend.