ST. PETERSBURG -- As the Twins alluded throughout the weekend, catcher Mitch Garver rejoined the team on Sunday, activated from his rehab stint with Double-A Pensacola after a 19-day stretch on the injured list. He started against the Rays and batted leadoff, going 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI in Minnesota's 9-7 win.
Garver sustained a left high ankle sprain May 14 against the Angels during a home-plate collision. Shohei Ohtani slid into his ankle as Garver blocked the plate with his left foot.
Those types of ankle injuries often require four to six weeks of recovery. Garver lauded his training program for the quick turnaround.
“It seemed like when the injury happened, that it would take a lot longer than it actually did,” said Garver, who was behind the plate and hit leadoff for the series finale against the Rays. “I'm really happy with not only the work I put on the offseason, but the work we do every day to be healthy.
“It helps with recovery, it gets your body ready for trauma like this, and I'm feeling good. I'm feeling way better than I thought I was going to feel two weeks ago.”
Garver was slashing .329/.418/.747 with four doubles, nine homers, 19 RBIs and a 1.164 OPS in 25 games with the Twins at the time of his injury. The veteran catcher will bring welcome pop to the lineup as Minnesota prepares for a stretch that includes division opponents in 16 of its next 25 games.
“We’re excited to see Mitch back. I think he’s feeling good. I think he’s ready to go,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Rehab assignment went very smoothly. Ankle is feeling good, but the rest of his body is feeling good. We’re not afraid to throw him right back in there and hit him leadoff and see what we got. I think he feels good, and he’s ready to be here.”
Garver entered Sunday’s finale without any hesitation about testing the ankle after three Double-A games. He was also confident that his timing at the plate wasn’t affected by his time on the injured list.
“I think right now I'm not concerned about anything,” he said. “Maybe just getting back into Major League speed.
“When I was back in Minnesota rehabbing, we made sure every day that I was seeing pitches off the machine and keeping my eyes adjusted and my nervous system adjusted to the speed of the game. Being able to recognize breaking balls and high-velocity fastballs was something that we wanted to prioritize.”
To make room on the 25-man roster for Garver, Zack Littell was optioned to Triple-A Rochester.
Littell, 23, made two appearances for the Twins this season and worked a combined 6 1/3 innings, walking one and fanning five.