SARASOTA, Fla. -- The wait was over, the weight was better, and Nick Gordon was back to playing baseball on Thursday.

While the Twins’ 3-3 tie with the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium carried no consequence in the season standings or stats, it was a tremendously meaningful game for the former first-round MLB Draft pick who is trying to reclaim his place in the Minnesota pipeline.

Gordon, who went 0-for-2 at the plate, hadn’t played in a game since early August of last season because of a gastrointestinal issue that has proved problematic for him for the better part of the last two years.

“I don’t think we found the exact term, exactly,” Gordon said of his ailment. “It was something similar to gastritis. A very extreme case of gastritis. The walls of my stomach were very thin. It could have led to a lot of other things, so I’m definitely glad we caught it when we did.”

Gordon said that, in 2018, his playing weight went from around 185 pounds to 160. That was a season in which Gordon’s numbers sagged considerably after an in-season promotion from Double-A to Triple-A. He had just a .212/.262/.283 slash in 99 games with Rochester.

The numbers were better in '19 (.298/.342/.459), but Gordon remained ill.

“It definitely affected me,” said Gordon, who is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Twins' No. 17 prospect. “I’m not one to make excuses, though. It could have been handled on my part a little better as far as trying exactly to get what it was. I was more worried about playing than my body.”

Meanwhile, in 2019, the Twins gave the utility role that maybe, under better conditions, would have gone to Gordon, to Luis Arraez, whose dynamic rookie year has cemented his status in the organization. The 24-year-old Gordon was taken fifth overall in the MLB Draft six years ago and has All-Star DNA as the son of Tom Gordon and the brother of Dee. But with the Twins, he has become a bit of a forgotten man.

He's hoping to change that in '20.

“I think he’s in a good place,” Dee said from Mariners camp. “His swing is amazing right now. I know they haven’t seen much of it yet because he’s been hurt, but he’s in a good spot.”

The younger Gordon said that, after arriving to spring camp, he finally got the consultation he needed to attack his illness. He’s had to change his diet -- no soda, less fried food, no ice cream, etc. -- and he’s found medicine that has helped.

“It kept getting better and better, and I was able to eat a lot more food,” he said. “And now my body is definitely feeling better and I’m getting my strength back.”

It all led to this Grapefruit League debut, and Gordon admitted to some jitters.

“But once you get the first ground ball, it’s like, ‘All right, we’re playing the same game,’” he said. “It definitely was fun. I couldn’t wait to get out here.”

Gordon and the Twins hope this leads somewhere even better in '20.

“When he’s been on the field, he’s been productive,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He’s done a good job, he works hard, he’s a good teammate, a good citizen. This guy just does everything right when he’s able to get out there. I want to watch him play. I think everyone wants to watch him play and I know, more than anybody, he wants to be out there.”

Reporter Greg Johns contributed to this story.