PHOENIX -- After receiving bad news on the pitching front Saturday in the form of Mick Abel’s setback, the Twins got the yang to their yin Sunday with left-hander Kendry Rojas being activated from the 15-day injured list before the series finale vs. the D-backs.
Rojas last appeared on May 23 and was placed on the IL less than a week later after an MRI revealed inflammation in his left triceps. He returned to make a 33-pitch rehab appearance for Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, and while the results (five runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings) may not have been optimal, the velocity was where it should be, with nine pitches coming at higher than 96 mph. All told, the club ultimately opted for having the 23-year-old’s next appearance come in the big leagues.
Before his injury, Rojas had largely thrived filling a role of working two to four innings at a time as something of a bulk pitcher. Developed as a starter coming up through the Blue Jays’ system before his acquisition at last year’s Trade Deadline, that path is still in the cards for the Twins’ No. 9 prospect. But the best chance for his electric arm to impact the club in the short term is in a shorter role in which his “special” stuff can play up.
“The decision we had to make was: Are we going to build him up to four innings and take two to three more appearances or are we going to bring him back to the big leagues? We decided to bring him back to the big leagues,” manager Derek Shelton said. “That doesn't mean that we won't maybe build him back up as he's here, but that was kind of the tension point of which way we were going to go and we decided just bringing him back was better for us.”
Rojas made his MLB debut on April 22 and has totaled five appearances (one start) for the Twins. He’s posted a 1.26 ERA at the big league level in that span and has particularly found success with his four-seam fastball, which has averaged 96 mph and held opposing batters to a .118 average, with the only two hits being singles.
Rojas’ multi-inning flexibility will be especially welcome for a staff that turned to Mike Paredes as its opener for Sunday’s contest. The team has an off-day on the horizon Thursday, but Shelton noted that bullpen management for an upcoming series – against the defending two-time World Series champion Dodgers – is often even more difficult than navigating the present game.
That bullpen will be without right-hander Justin Lawrence, who was designated for assignment as a corresponding move for activating Rojas off the IL.