Minnesota Twins: Chris Heston the Newest Member of the Twins Staff
By Carl Vagle
The Minnesota Twins wheelhouse at the back of the rotation continues with the addition of Chris Heston.
Chris Heston was claimed off of waivers by the Minnesota Twins from the Seattle Mariners. Heston will wear number 50 for the Twins, worn earlier this season by Jason Wheeler. The Twins also placed Hector Santiago on the disabled list and released Nick Tepesch.
In the 2007 MLB First-Year Player Draft the Twins selected Heston in the 47th round. Chris decided to head back to school and was drafted three times before signing with the San Francisco Giants in 2009 (12th round selection). Now he has come full circle and is with the team that originally drafted him.
Heston is best known for his no-hitter on June 9th, 2015 with the Giants. He had eleven strikeouts in that outing and posted a 3.95 ERA that season. However, he has yet to return to that form.
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In the following two years he has pitched in six major league games for a total of ten innings; and he has given up seventeen earned runs with only six strikeouts. Chris appeared twice with the Seattle Mariners this season before being put on waivers.
The Twins are hoping to find the missing piece in their rotation.
The Twins have been searching for a solution at the back of their rotation all season. Kyle Gibson, Nick Tepesch, Adalberto Meija, and Adam Wilk have all been called upon. Meija has started to find success at the major league level while the others have struggled.
In order to make room for Heston on the roster the Twins have released Nick Tepesch. Tepesch pitched 1.2 innings in his only start for the Twins in a 11-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox.
Hector Santiago has a left-shoulder strain that has landed him on the disabled list. Santiago started out the year going 4-1 with a 2.76 ERA and was forming a 1-2 punch for the Twins staff with Ervin Santana. Since then he has gone 0-5 and his ERA has ballooned to 5.26.
Next: Twins: It's Time For Santiago To Go; But Where?
In Conclusion
Chris Heston could make his Twins debut on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants; the team he threw his no-hitter with. The Twins hope they have found the missing piece to their rotation and Heston can return to his 2015 form on the mound. Only time will tell if the Twins have found their answer.