Minnesota Twins: Michael Tonkin designated for assignment

As the Minnesota Twins designate Michael Tonkin for assignment, fans continue to see a shift away from the Ryan era Minnesota Twins.

As the calendar has turned into May, we have begun to see roster moves reshaping the look of the Minnesota Twins. The most recent move came after Saturday’s 11-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox, as the the decision was made to DFA Michael Tonkin.

This move comes on the heels of sending Kyle Gibson to AAA after his own struggles and clunker of a game earlier this week against the Oakland Athletics. Danny Santana also was DFA’d after he has failed to be anything but great potential since that BABIP  fueled 2014 call up.

Tonkin has been part of the Twins bullpen since 2013. After seeing early success, he has struggled leading up to the DFA on Saturday. Tonkin came in with some big expectations because of his ability to strike batters out. Unfortunately, he saw his walk numbers jump up and has been victim to a few too many home runs as well.

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At the outset it was hard to see what influence Derek Falvey and Thad Levine were having on the shape of the Twins’ roster. After the last week we are beginning to see more evidence of their influence.

We have seen Nick Tepesch be brought up to start who has history with Levine in Texas. As well as Drew Rucinski coming up to take a relief role after Gibson was sent to AAA. And Ehire Adrianza filling Danny Santana’s spot on the Twins’ bench. All three of these guys are new to the Twins’ system since Falvey and Levine took leadership of the club.

The roster is getting the Falvey and Levine facelift. We are still awaiting to see who will get the next audition for 5th spot in the rotation. Justin Haley will fill the 25 man roster spot as of now. He is coming off of the disabled list.

Next: Minnesota Twins: Taking a Look at the Joe Mauer Paradox

In Conclusion

Those who wanted to see the Twins’ look less like the Ryan era Twins look to be getting their wish. It may be in small ways for the moment, but we are starting to see glimpses of what types of moves and players the new front office will be looking to round out the roster with. Who gets the next crack at the 5th spot in the rotation is very important. It may further reveal how the Falvey and Levine era of the Minnesota Twins will look.