3 Twins pitchers who could make Opening Day roster after injuries to Jhoan Duran and others
Three pitchers are set to start the season on the IL, which means some roster spots just opened up.
Bad news dropped like a hammer on Monday for the Minnesota Twins.
Byron Buxton was scratched from the lineup with lower back tightness, which is the sort of anxiety Twins fans would rather live without.
Derek Falvey noted that Buxton's injury was 'minor' and that he's not expected to an extended period of time. The fear was that Buck would end up on the IL to start the season, which will instead be the case for three other players on the roster.
Falvey announced that three pitchers -- Jhoan Duran, Caleb Thielbar, and Anthony DeSclafani -- would begin the season on the IL.
It's unknown how long their stints will be, but what we do know is that it opens up some roster spots ahead of Opening Day. Prior to the injury news it seemed like only one spot was truly up for grabs, but now the Twins have some options for how to move forward.
3 Twins who could make Opening Day roster after barrage of injuries
Jorge Alcalá
There was already a solid case to be made that Jorge Alcalá outright deserved a 26-mn roster spot, but the injuries to Duran and Thielbar clinch it.
Alcalá is looking at what might be his last true shot to prove he can belongs in the long-term plans, and he's already making the most of it this spring. After two rough seasons, plagued by injuries and poor performance, Alcalá is looking like the guy he was when he was tearing through batters at the turn of the decade.
So far this spring, Alcalá has a 2.16 ERA with 10 strikeouts and a 0.960 WHIP in eight innings of work. That's absolutely outstanding, and it's proof that his velocity is doing damage the way the Twins were hoping, with his fastball consistently clocking around 96 to 97 mph.
Back in 2019 he burst onto the scene with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.043 WHIP across three seasons. He hit some turbulance after that, suffering an injury and taking a step back that he didn't truly begin to recover from until now.
With Thielbar out of the picture for now, it'll be Alcalá who gets a chance to work his way into a setup role and make the case that he belongs in the bullpen even after everyone returns.
Kody Funderburk
Last season Kody Funderburk made a triumphant debut late in September and even made it onto the AL Wild Card roster in October. He now will likely get a chance to start the season on the 26-man roster.
After Alcalá and Josh Staumont, Funderburk makes the most sense as a replacement in the bullpen while Minnesota waits for guys to get healthy. Staumont was already sort of a lock, although he was dealing with injuries of his own, but Funderburk was firmly on the outside looking in.
He's had a tough spring on paper, posting a 5.12 ERA across eight innings, but he's also logged 12 strikeouts and only six hits. Funderburk has nothced three holds as well, which is what the Twins will need out of him if he sees action during the first few weeks of the season.
Louie Varland
Outside of the bullpen, the Twins need to figure out who the No. 5 starter will be now that DeSclafani is starting the season on the IL. The most logical candidate is Louie Varland, who was trying to make a case for being a potential sixth starter if Minnesota decided to go that route.
It's the second year we've wondered about a six-man rotation for the Twins, and just like last season it's not going to happen. The fact that it was even a debate proves how deep the talent is, and helps soothe the pain of starting the season without DeSclafani.
The No. 5 starter role is likely back to DeSclafani when he's actiavted, but the question is whether or not Varland sticks around. He'll get at least one start to try and prove he deserves to remain on the 26-man roster, although doing so would require leaving a reliever out of the mix.
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