MINNEAPOLIS -- With Mike Morin, Adalberto Mejia and Matt Magill already having been removed from the roster, the Twins have asked two of their starting pitching prospects -- Kohl Stewart and Lewis Thorpe -- to be ready for anything as the July 31 Trade Deadline approaches.

"Truthfully, the only message that I would constantly have for all of our guys is, 'Be ready to pitch,'" manager Rocco Baldelli said.

Stewart, a career starter in the Minor Leagues, feels that his current role in the bullpen is to be a "plug and play" arm, without much clear expectations for his usage. The 24-year-old right-hander had been used as a long reliever earlier this season, but he was also used for only 18 pitches in the ninth inning of the Twins' victory over the A's on Sunday.

"They just said, 'Be ready every night. When we give you the ball, throw it until we take it out of your hand,'" Stewart said. "That's my role."

Thorpe echoed those sentiments. The 23-year-old from Australia didn't know what to expect on Monday night -- when he made only the eighth relief appearance of his professional career -- other than that he was going to pitch until the Twins told him to stop. As it turned out, they used him for 2 2/3 strong innings, earning the southpaw his first Major League win.

"There was no set plan going into that third inning of his," Baldelli said. "We wanted to let him go and see where he could bring us, and he brought us a long way."

Stewart and Thorpe are well-suited for this particular role because of their ability to provide length out of the bullpen, and Baldelli said they could find their way into the bullpen on a "pretty stable basis" in the second half.

But given that the Twins are in position to make a deeper run in the postseason this year, this period of flux in the Twins' bullpen -- with two young starters plugging whatever holes are needed -- likely won't be sustainable in the long term.

So coupled with the three open spots on the 40-man roster and the lack of many experienced bullpen options left in Triple-A, this could serve as another indication that external help could be on the way before the Trade Deadline.

Buxton has wisdom teeth removed
Byron Buxton has continued to work out on the field as he recovers from concussion-like symptoms sustained on a diving catch on July 13, but Baldelli revealed Tuesday that the situation became slightly more complicated when Buxton had three wisdom teeth removed several days ago.

Baldelli said Buxton's comfort level has improved as the situation resolves itself, and the Twins don't expect it to affect their center fielder for much longer.

"It's not a comfortable spot to be right now, but it's definitely getting to the point where he can go take care and do all of what he needs to do on the field and feel good when he's doing it," Baldelli said. "We're going to be there soon."

Twins host second annual 'Mall Ball'
For the second year in a row, the Twins shut down a stretch of Nicollet Mall between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in downtown Minneapolis in a pop-up "Mall Ball" event, during which 10 players and mascot T.C. provided free music and food during the lunch hour for many fans while treating them to a demonstration of vitilla, the bat-and-ball game played in the Dominican Republic.

Nelson Cruz was the leader of the event and was joined by Jorge Polanco, Miguel Sano, Jonathan Schoop, Taylor Rogers, Luis Arraez, Ehire Adrianza, Martin Perez, Marwin Gonzalez and Eddie Rosario. The event also featured special guest appearances from Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.

"Clearly, they care about winning baseball games, but I think what is inspiring is they also care a lot about the city," Frey said. "I can't tell you how proud I am to be part of a city where every one of these Twins players, from Cruz over here to Rosario, all recognize the value of community."

"To get them to come out of the stadium, come out of the field, and just hang out on the Mall with us as part of our community, it builds a lot of pride and gives us something for us to be excited about and have fun with," Carter said.