Gardenhire eager to get Arcia back in Majors

DETROIT -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire acknowledged he was not thrilled with the decision to send down highly touted outfielder Oswaldo Arcia to Triple-A Rochester but said he thought it would benefit Arcia to get consistent playing time in the Minors.

Arcia, 22, hit .255/.318/.449 with four homers, five doubles and a triple in 30 games before being sent down after Friday's loss to the Tigers. Arcia started off hot but cooled down once pitchers started throwing him more off-speed stuff, as he ended in a 3-for-32 slump.

"I didn't want to send Arcia down," Gardenhire said. "I like watching him swing and the way he goes about his business. He's a young kid with things to learn and is swinging a little crazy right now, but there's a chance when he walks up that he'll hit a home run, and I enjoy that part of it. So he'll be back."

Arcia, ranked as the No. 86 overall prospect according to MLB.com, must remain in the Minors for 10 days before being called up unless a Twins player sustains an injury. But Gardenhire said he expected to have Arcia back soon, as long as he continues to hit like he did before being recalled. Arcia hit .394 with three homers and eight RBIs in 10 games with Rochester before his promotion to the big leagues.

"We just told him to go down and bust his tail and don't pout," Gardenhire said. "Told him to just start swinging the way he was and he'll be back up here. We just have to figure out a few things with our roster."