CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Twins manager Paul Molitor was relieved to see Team Puerto Rico won't be hosting a victory parade back home, as it lost to Team USA in the World Baseball Classic final Wednesday night, meaning Jose Berrios, Hector Santiago, Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario will be back in camp on Friday.
Vargas and Rosario are expected to be in the lineup against the Orioles on Friday, while Santiago will pitch Saturday against Baltimore. Berrios' status is more up in the air, as the right-hander threw 40 pitches on Wednesday, and isn't likely to pitch again until Monday.
"It's been a long haul for those guys to be away," Molitor said. "They had a nice run. They'll be back here in camp and we'll piece it together to see how they feel and how we use them. We had four guys missing for 17 days, so it's been a long stretch."
Santiago is a lock to be in the rotation, and Rosario is the club's starting left fielder, but Vargas and Berrios were hurt by a lack of playing time. Vargas, competing to be the everyday designated hitter with ByungHo Park, received only nine at-bats during the tournament, while Park has been Minnesota's best hitter this spring.
Berrios threw 6 2/3 innings in the tournament, and might not have enough time to get stretched out to make the rotation, which could make Adalberto Mejia the favorite for the fifth spot. Molitor said he plans to talk with Berrios on Friday about his plan going forward.
"We have to figure out what we're going to do with Jose," Molitor said. "We'll have to evaluate these guys and see where they're at. It's going to be tough."