Twins recall Polanco with Plouffe on paternity list
MINNEAPOLIS -- Shortstop Jorge Polanco officially joined the Twins on Wednesday, as third baseman Trevor Plouffe was placed on the paternity list. Plouffe and his wife, Olivia, were expecting their first child on Wednesday.
Polanco, ranked as the No. 89 overall prospect by MLBPipeline.com, was called up from Triple-A Rochester and went 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter in the Twins' 10-4 loss to the Pirates. Twins manager Paul Molitor said it's still too early to say when Plouffe will return -- he can be away from the team for a minimum of one day and a maximum of three days -- and that it's not set in stone that Polanco will be the one optioned once Plouffe returns.
"It's hard to say how's it going to play out," Molitor said. "If Trevor misses three games, [Polanco] could get a chance to play a couple. But I'm not sure if that'll give us enough information to decide how we want to go forward heading into Saturday. But it's something that needs to be discussed how we go forward. Instead of three guys [who can play shortstop], we're working with four. So something will happen. Whether it's Polanco going back or we make another move, I can't really tell you right now."
Video: NYY@MIN: Plouffe launches solo blast off Capuano
With Polanco recalled, the Twins have four shortstops on the roster, along with Danny Santana, Escobar and Nunez. But Santana has been struggling and hasn't started at shortstop since Saturday.
Polanco, 22, hit .284/.309/.352 with six doubles, six RBIs and a stolen base in 22 games for Triple-A Rochester. The switch-hitter also batted .301/.347/.409 with four homers, 14 doubles and 14 stolen bases in 67 games with Double-A Chattanooga. But his defense is still a work in progress, as he's committed 24 errors in 83 games this season.
Polanco, though, has fared well in two short stints with the Twins over the last two years, hitting .333 with a double, a triple and three walks in six career games, which has impressed Molitor.
"I think it kind of affirmed everything we know about him," Molitor said. "He takes very competitive at-bats from both sides of the plate. He's an exciting player. He's developing power. Defensively, he's gotten a little bit better at slowing it down. It can be a little fast for him at times."
Molitor also added that fellow top prospect Miguel Sano is healthy enough that he could see action at third base in Plouffe's absence. Sano has been dealing with a sprained right ankle.
"He's OK, I think, to play third," Molitor said. "I was concerned a little last night on his infield single, when he passed the base and kind of limped back. But he gave me the OK when I yelled out to him and then he ran fine on the stolen-base attempt where he ended up scoring. So I think defensively he'd be OK, so I'm going to try to get him in the field in the next couple days."