Minnesota Twins Josmil Pinto Sidelined With Concussion Symptoms
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Josmil Pinto needs to be heading north with the Minnesota Twins when camp breaks here rather soon. The only problem is that Pinto is still dealing with concussion like symptoms according to General Manager Terry Ryan (reported by MLB.com here).
The concussion came about this past weekend. Pinto was behind the plate when he was hit by the follow through of Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles, three times he was hit on the one play, and now is sidelined.
Both Ryan and new manager Paul Molitor say that the initial diagnosis for Pinto is good and that the injury should not sidetrack the slugging backstop for two long. Ryan told MLB.com that as long as it is a three to four day issue, it should not be a setback.
Pinto can hit the ball, but he does need more seasoning behind the plate. Last season, Ron Gardenhire would not bring Pinto north and use him as a DH. It seems as though Molitor is more likely to use his backup catcher in a more productive way than his predecessor.
Pinto is the front runner to backup Kurt Suzuki who made the All-Star Game a year ago when it was held at Target Field. Chris Herrmann and Eric Fryer are also competing for the backup job.
Next: Six Reasons To Head To Target Field