Sands (forearm strain) to 15-day IL; Twin Cities native Klein recalled
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MINNEAPOLIS – The Twins have suffered another injury in the one area where they can least afford it. Right-handed reliever Cole Sands has been placed on the 15-day injured list with what the club is calling a mild right forearm strain.
Righty John Klein (Twins No. 20 prospect), a native of the Twin Cities who grew up a Twins fan, was recalled to take Sands’ roster spot. When he appears in a game, it will be his Major League debut.
Sands, 29, has had mixed results this year but is one of manager Derek Shelton’s most trusted late-inning, high-leverage pitchers. He was the first Twins pitcher to get a save this year and has the third-highest average leverage index of any Twins reliever this year.
“Anytime someone gets injured, it hits you a little bit because you care about the person too,” Shelton said. “It’s a situation where we just have to get him back healthy. It gives us another opportunity, and we’ve talked about, when guys get hurt, there are going to be opportunities. Now we’re giving John Klein an opportunity. In Cole’s case, it’s disheartening for him because he’s been throwing the ball well for us.”
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Sands said he felt discomfort while warming up Thursday night. He shut it down and underwent an MRI on Friday, which led to the diagnosis of a forearm strain.
“Anytime you go get imaging, there’s going to be some concern,” Sands said. “And there was definitely some concern on my end. But, yeah, it was kind of one of those things where you check those boxes. Obviously, you feel a little bit better about it. … It was probably some of the better news you could have got out of the whole thing.”
For Klein, the promotion is the latest step in a rapid rise. He wasn’t even ranked among the Twins’ top 30 prospects entering last season, but a strong season at Double-A Wichita earned him a promotion to St. Paul, and during the offseason, he was added to the 40-man roster. He showed flashes in Spring Training, and now he’s on the roster of his hometown team.
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“I found out after the game in St. Paul yesterday, probably 10:30, 11 o’clock,” Klein said. “And when [I talked to] Brian Dinkelman, the manager down there, I just went numb and speechless, and it was kind of like that through the whole night.”
Abel throws off the mound
Right-hander Mick Abel, who has been sidelined for about two weeks with inflammation in his right elbow, took a significant step forward on Saturday. He threw a bullpen session, his first time throwing off the mound since the injury. Abel threw about 22 pitches, simulating at-bats, though without hitters facing him.
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The exact next steps for Abel are not clear but he was very encouraged with the session and is excited about his progress.
“It was good,” Abel said. “It was really good. I think everything now, my focus is more on getting back into the swing of things, getting back into the routine. I know that’s what makes me tick and what gets me into the game. when I’m at my best, it’s focus on that. so I’m glad I’m at that point now.”
Twins tidbits
Sunday’s game gets off to an unusually early start. Due to the game appearing on Peacock, it will get under way at 11:45 a.m. CT. … Walker Jenkins, the Twins No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 overall, tied a St. Paul franchise record with three doubles on Friday. … Catcher Khadim Diaw, the organization’s No. 23 prospect, is 10-for-10 with six walks over his last four games entering Saturday.