FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins optioned right-hander Jose Berrios to Triple-A Rochester on Saturday, as they didn't believe he had enough time to get stretched out to start after being used sparingly in the World Baseball Classic.
The move leaves right-hander Tyler Duffey and left-hander Adalberto Mejia as the two remaining candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation. Both threw in Minor League games on Saturday morning, with Duffey outpitching Mejia.
Berrios, who played for Team Puerto Rico in the Classic, threw 40 pitches in relief against Team USA in Wednesday's championship game. His other appearance came on March 12, when he threw 62 pitches against Team Italy.
Berrios was clearly disappointed by the decision to start the year at Triple-A, but he took it in stride and understood why the decision was made.
"It's tough me on me because I'm a competitive guy," Berrios said. "But I feel great. I know it wasn't an easy decision to make. I know they made it because there's a short time before the start of the season. But I know I'm going to go down there and keep working on things, and be ready for a callup."
Berrios was considered a slight favorite in the fifth-starter competition after Trevor May was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, but Berrios didn't pitch enough in the Classic. Mejia has been impressive all spring in Grapefruit League play, sporting a 1.88 ERA over 14 1/3 innings, while Duffey has come on strong and owns a 3.86 ERA in 11 2/3 innings.
Duffey helped his case against Double-A Portland on Saturday, allowing one unearned run over six innings with 10 strikeouts. Mejia struggled against Triple-A Pawtucket, allowing six runs on 10 hits over six innings.
Twins manager Paul Molitor said a decision will have to be made before the duo's next turn in the rotation, and that the outings against Minor Leaguers won't be the deciding factors. He met with chief baseball officer Derek Falvey, pitching coach Neil Allen and bullpen coach Eddie Guardado to discuss their options on Saturday.
There remains a chance Duffey could be a bullpen option if he doesn't make the rotation, but if Mejia doesn't win the job, he'll head to Triple-A Rochester as a starter.
"I don't want to put too much stock into what happened today," Molitor said. "It's more about their body of work and the comfort in who we feel is our best choice. We're going to decide before both of their next starts."