NEW YORK -- Miguel Sanó's big day at the plate for Class A Advanced Fort Myers on Thursday was another positive step as he works his way back from the injured list, as the third baseman will move his rehab to the next level.

Sano, who suffered a laceration to his lower right Achilles area in January, will begin playing for Double-A Pensacola, where he'll play third base with an occasional turn as the designated hitter.

"He swung the bat really well, feels good; he's very eager to get back," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Sano, who went 4-for-4 with a home run Thursday. "We don't have a hard date as far as when we're hoping for him to be back. I think we're going to continue to watch him and see how he's doing. The early returns are good."

Baldelli said Sano will eventually move to Triple-A Rochester, though there's no firm schedule in place. 

Sano didn't take part in any baseball activities during Spring Training, though he underwent a two-week conditioning program in Fort Myers to prepare for his Minor League stint. Getting Sano ample at-bats remains the most important thing, Baldelli said, though the club isn't looking for the infielder to clear any specific hurdles such as playing three straight days. 

"He needs to get on the field, get ABs, feel good, come out of games feeling good, come out of playing two or three games in a row feeling good," Baldelli said. "There's not really one or two things in particular that we're looking for. We're looking for good, steady progress where we can look up hopefully in a couple weeks and make an assessment at that point. He's on track to do all that."

Long time coming

From the moment the Yankees made him their sixth-round Draft pick in 2011, Jake Cave dreamed of playing at Yankee Stadium. He never got that chance before the Yankees traded him to the Twins in March 2018, but the 26-year-old finally had the chance to walk into the Bronx ballpark Friday when the Twins arrived for a three-game weekend set. 

"This is really cool," Cave said, standing in front of his locker in the visiting clubhouse. "I never got a callup with the Yankees; I never even ever came here. I went to the old Stadium when I was younger, but this is cool. I never thought I would be playing in Yankee Stadium as a Twin, which is kind of crazy."

Cave was working his way up the Yankees' system before the trade, slashing .324/.367/.554 in 72 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2017. He played in the Minors with most of the Yankees' young stars including Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres, so he was excited to have a chance to reconnect with his former teammates and coaches prior to Friday's game. 

Although he wasn't in the lineup Friday, Cave is hoping to have a chance to play this weekend. He went 4-for-12 with two RBIs during a three-game series against the Yankees last September at Target Field, and while he insisted there were no hard feelings following the trade, he admitted there was satisfaction in succeeding against his former team.

"I didn't have that same vengeance feeling. I liked the Yankees system, I just got traded from them," Cave said. "Everything comes back full circle. If you do things the right way, you'll still get the opportunity. I got the opportunity."

Birthday boy

Mike Morin celebrated his 28th birthday Friday by joining the Twins after being called up Thursday. The right-hander has played parts of five seasons with the Angels, Royals and Mariners, posting a 4.66 ERA in 186 appearances.

"He has some ways to equalize hitters from both sides of the plate; I think that means something," Baldelli said. "It gives him something to rely on, because there are going to be times where he's going to be asked to face not just right-handers, but left-handers. The changeup can be something he uses. He has experience; he's been in difficult situations before, so I don't think I'm going to hesitate to use him in spots that might be tougher spots."