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Minnesota Twins: Robbie Grossman to the DL opens up an opportunity for Johnny Field

By Nate Palmer

TORONTO, ON - JULY 24: Robbie Grossman #36 of the Minnesota Twins hits an RBI double in the sixth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 24, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JULY 24: Robbie Grossman #36 of the Minnesota Twins hits an RBI double in the sixth inning during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on July 24, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Twins are placing outfielder Robbie Grossman on the disabled list with a hamstring injury and giving Johnny Field a shot in the majors.

The Minnesota Twins announced after their game on Sunday that outfielder Robbie Grossman is headed to the disabled list. We didn’t get a really good view of the moment when the injury happened on the television broadcast, but after a one-out single in the seventh inning, we could see Grossman say something about the injury to first base coach Jeff Smith. He was then taken out of the game and replaced by Logan Morrison.

Robbie Grossman hasn’t been as effective at getting on base in 2018 as he has been in past seasons. His .OBP sits about 30 points lower than it did last season as he is slashing .253/.332/.365 this season. It seems each time we are ready to protest Grossman out of town and off the roster, he comes up with a good day at the plate like he was in the middle of on Sunday. Before having to leave the game Grossman was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

Grossman has actually been good offensively for the last month. Since July 1st Grossman is hitting .312/.379/.442 with a .821 OPS. The problem for Grossman is that defensively he becomes a liability when forced to play in the outfield. His early season struggles at the plate combined with how he looks in the field defensively may make several glad to see Grossman hit the DL. The ultimate struggle with Grossman on a roster is he doesn’t field well enough to be an outfielder and doesn’t always hit well enough to be a designated hitter.

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OF Johnny Field recalled

Grossman’s trip to the DL provides an opportunity for recently claimed outfielder Johnny Field to play in the majors again this season. The Twins claimed Field off of waivers from the AL Central rival Cleveland Indians. Field was a 5th round selection of the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2013 draft and saw some time in the majors with them earlier this season.

In 62 games and 179 plate appearances, Field batted .213/.253/.373 with 6 home runs for the Rays. In Triple-A between the three organizations Field has been a part of this season (Rays, Indians, and now Twins) he has slashed .333/.412/.467 with a .878 OPS.

Fields best attribute when looking through some scouting reports on the outfielder has been his character makeup, drive, and willingness to be a “grinder.” Interestingly enough there was a chance that Field was going to get a shot as a second baseman in the majors but has remained an outfielder to this point in his career. His combination of speed and power continue to drive any intrigue about Field as a prospect at 26-years-old.

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Field may end up being nothing more than an expendable player once Grossman is off of the DL, but he will have a chance to show something to the major league coaches in the next 10 days or more. Field should also hopefully make us cringe a little less when he patrols the outfield at some point in the next two weeks.

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