NORTH PORT, Fla. -- As he battles a trio of rookies this spring for a spot in the Twins’ rotation, Jhoulys Chacín is just fine taking a page from their book.

The 32-year-old harnessed plenty of youthful energy during his two-inning outing on Tuesday in a 4-4 tie with the Braves at CoolToday Park, and he weaved with it all the cunning of his 11 seasons in the big leagues to make for a standout Twins debut.

Chacín signed a Minor League deal with Minnesota on Feb. 3 and immediately added depth, sage and competition to the club’s rotation battle.

The spirit he trotted out to the mound with on Tuesday was a bonus.

“He can still do a lot of things. He manipulates the ball really well when you watch him,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He can make the ball do things that very few guys can do.”

If anyone could testify to that, it was Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna. The veterans battled each other hard in the first inning, with Chacín dipping into his offspeed stuff to get Ozuna to swing and miss -- badly -- on a 2-1 pitch.

After the cleanup hitter fouled off the next pitch behind home plate, Chacín went offspeed again to ring him up for the inning’s final out. Chacín’s success with the slider-sinker-slider sequence against a friend he’s faced for the past several seasons left the Twins’ hurler with a wicked grin in the clubhouse afterward.

“I always like the challenge, because he's looking for pitches. I like to cross him up with my pitches,” Chacín said. “It was fun because [being] Spring Training and all, it doesn't affect you that much, but it's good that somebody challenges you like that.”

Chacín sat the side down in order on nine pitches in the second inning, with Dansby Swanson caught looking at a called third strike to end his day. Chacín’s lone hit allowed came in the first, when Ozzie Albies lined a double to deep center field. Twins No. 19 prospect Gilberto Celestino badly misjudged what should’ve been the second out, but Chacín escaped the inning without harm.

Competing with rookies Lewis Thorpe, Randy Dobnak and Devin Smeltzer for a temporary rotation spot while Michael Pineda completes the final 39 games of his 60-game suspension, Chacín knows he’ll have to bring something special to the hill each time he’s called upon.

He’s got the enthusiasm to match his younger teammates, and on Tuesday, he also showed the value that experience provides. Surely knowing your opponents’ tendencies is an advantage?

“Well, right now, today, yes. Today I had it,” Chacín said with a grin. “But it's always good to challenge, to get you going a little bit. It was a good way to start my Spring Training.”

Baby Bomba breaks through
Trevor Larnach doesn’t know how long he’ll be in Major League camp this spring, so he made sure to leave an impression.

The Twins’ No. 4 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline wasted no time Tuesday, stepping to the plate against Braves veteran Mike Foltynewicz in the second inning and smoking a 2-1 offering over the batter’s eye in straightaway center field to get Minnesota on the board.

He singled in the fourth to finish the game 2-for-2 with a walk and a steal.

“Anytime I can produce a run, no matter how it is, I’ll enjoy it,” Larnach said. “Obviously it’s Spring Training, and if you’re on a big league stage with Spring Training, it’s going to feel that much better.”

Twins cautious with Kepler
Max Kepler is nearing game action after being limited lately with what Baldelli called “very, very minor” back soreness. He should join the roster within a few days. The ailment is unrelated to the rhomboid strain in his left shoulder area that Kepler battled at the end of last season, and the team has plans to work him out mostly in right field with an occasional appearance in center.

“He’s been getting work in on the back fields. He’s been running around, [and] he’s feeling pretty good.” Baldelli said. “He’s had a really good camp. He’s had a really good offseason. With the issues that he was dealing with last year, I think he’s eager to put those to bed and just get out there and go play.”

That’s a Sanó-no
Larnach wasn’t the only one to make a scene at CoolToday Park: Miguel Sanó launched a shot during batting practice that left the field behind … and proceeded to strike the team’s charter bus, cracking a window.

Up next
The Twins will play a pair of split-squad games on Wednesday, one at home against the Phillies and the other on the road against the Rays. Jake Odorizzi will make his Grapefruit League debut against Philadelphia after re-signing with Minnesota in the offseason, and Devin Smeltzer will get the start against Blake Snell and Tampa Bay. First pitch for both games is set for 12:05 p.m. CT.