The Turtle is an asset. You can take all the metrics you want and chuck them in the dumpster IMO. He brings intangibles that few players have in the game today. They have to find a spot for him....not as a starter probably, but as a very valuable sub, who can play anywhere. The other thing is we have a team of free swingers. Turtle puts bat on ball and whenever that happens, things can happen, that don't happen when you strike out. He is a fan favorite (he was enormously popular in Rochester...emphasis on enormous) and also his teammates like him.

I would like to see the Twins carry 12 pitchers and 13 position players. They also will soon have to decide on Arraez and Adrianza. Giving the Turtle that 13th spot gives the team a great deal of flexibility, especially late in games. If he is left off the roster, it would be a major mistake.

If all of Adrianza, Arraez, and Gonzalez are healthy then I would leave Astudillo off the roster.  They are better fielders and hitters. Astudillo would just be a pinch hitter in this case I would assume, and he would be a decent guy to have pinch hit but....

The one thing our offense doesn't have is a baserunner.  Ian Miller getting the last spot is probably my choice.  Have him pinch run for almost anyone in the 8th or 9th.  It seems more likely that we would have a slow runner at 1st or 2nd late in the game than a guy at 3rd with less than 2 outs where we need someone to make contact.

Miller is a luxury the Twins can't afford, given their pitching and injury situation. They need supplementary players who can do more. KC used the pinch runner player to their huge advantage few years ago...he killed the Orioles as I recall. But I think the Twins cannot afford to take up a spot for such a one dimensional player.

They also have to evaluate if Arraez and or Adrianza are good enough to play regularly. Do you put someone in who may be only 50-60% over someone completely healthy? Tough decisions for Rocco for sure.

I remember when the Twins dumped Dozier, among others.....I was so mad I refused to watch games. You gotta consider the fan appeal too.....