Twins Roster Moves - 2021

[Danchat]

I recall last year we had a thread that tracked roster moves the Twins made throughout the 2020 season, and I'm like to have another thread to track that, to be a handy place to come back to for those who may have missed a move or two. I'll start off by covering the moves that have happened so far this season:

 

Apr 3, 2021 Brent Rooker LF Called Up from Minors
Apr 3, 2021 Josh Donaldson 3B Placed on 10-Day IL (Mild right hamstring strain)

 

Apr 7, 2021 Brandon Waddell RP Purchased From Minors
Apr 7, 2021 Edwar Colina RP Transferred to 60-Day IL (Right elbow inflammation)
Apr 7, 2021 Brent Rooker LF Placed on 10-Day IL (Cervical sprain)

 

Apr 14, 2021 JT Riddle 3B Purchased From Minors
Apr 14, 2021 Andrelton Simmons SS Placed on 10-Day IL (COVID-19 injured list)
Apr 14, 2021 Brandon Waddell RP Sent to Minors
Apr 14, 2021 Josh Donaldson 3B Removed From 10-Day IL (Mild right hamstring strain)
Apr 14, 2021 Alex Kirilloff RF Called Up from Minors (recalled as 27th roster player)

 

Apr 15, 2021 Shaun Anderson RP Called Up from Minors
Apr 15, 2021 Cody Stashak RP Sent to Minors

 

Apr 16, 2021 Shaun Anderson RP Sent to Minors

Apr 16 2021 Lewis Thorpe SP Called Up from Minors

 

 

I missed the Stashak/Anderson move... I guess I'm not surprised with Stashak, since he's looked rough so far, but I'm surprised Anderson was the call up. He didn't look very good in spring training and he's got a tenuous hold on his 40 man spot.

[Danchat]

 

That's a weird list. Did the option Stashak and call up Anderson, then option Anderson and call up Thorpe? Any idea why?

I would guess they thought Stashak wouldn't be available to pitch today, got Anderson up in case we needed him, and then made a move to get tomorrow's starter.

[Danchat]

Garlick, Kepler, and Thielbar to the IL (COVID)

 

Rooker activated, Luke Farrell added to 40 man (temporary) and called up, Blankenhorn called up

 

 

Interesting, I did not see Blankenhorn coming up for Kepler. Outfield is now Cave-Buxton-Rooker with Arraez and Blankenhorn as the backup OFs... not ideal.

[Danchat]

Thorpe optioned for Smeltzer, and then Thorpe called up for 27th man duty in the doubleheader. Very busy day for roster moves!

[Danchat]

Riddle to COVID IL, Telis activated from taxi squad. Yes, we now have 4 catchers on the roster and just a single player with SS experience. Not sure how Riddle slipped through the testing. This may just be a move for today and Gordon could get called up for Friday since Telis was on the taxi squad and Gordon wasn’t.

[adjacent]

Oh boy!. Riddle was in the game and in the dugout yesterday.  Who else is going to catch it tomorrow?

[Shaitan]

 

Riddle to COVID IL, Telis activated from taxi squad. Yes, we now have 4 catchers on the roster and just a single player with SS experience. Not sure how Riddle slipped through the testing. This may just be a move for today and Gordon could get called up for Friday since Telis was on the taxi squad and Gordon wasn’t.

 

Maybe it's to send a message to the underperforming catchers already on the roster. I wouldn't be surprised to see Telis get the start today.

[TwinsFanSince86]

Ugh. What a mess this season is turning into.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Oh boy!. Riddle was in the game and in the dugout yesterday.  Who else is going to catch it tomorrow?

Riddle didn't test positive. From the Strib:

 

https://www.startribune.com/jt-riddle-twins-covid-list-oakland/600048540/

 

He did not test positive for COVID-19, manager Rocco Baldelli said, but Baldelli was a reluctant to say Riddle's inclusion on the list was because of contact tracing.
 

"There are a lot of different COVID protocols. J.T. falls within one of them," Baldelli said. "He'll be also traveling on his own back to Minneapolis where he'll quarantine there for a period of time, and then hopefully by the end of the week, we'll have this resolved with him."
 

Players can also end up on the COVID-19 IL for breaking some of the league's strict protocols and potentially exposing themselves to the virus, such as if they were to not wear a mask, fail to social distance or even go out to dinner or socialize with people outside the team bubble.

 

[RedBull34]

 

Riddle didn't test positive. From the Strib:

 

https://www.startribune.com/jt-riddle-twins-covid-list-oakland/600048540/

I hope he collects a MLB Paycheck for his time in Quarantine.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I hope he collects a MLB Paycheck for his time in Quarantine.

I think this is just like the other MLB injured lists. Players on the MLB 26-man roster who are placed on the COVID IL should continue to receive MLB service time, salary, and benefits until they are activated.

 

 

[lecroy24fan]

I would expect Telis to be sent back on Friday. he was the only player left on the taxi squad. No reason to fly someone out to OAK and probably wouldn't have made it in time anyways.

[Rosterman]

I am still in wonderment how the taxi squad of non-40-man guys work into the picture. They can't stay once the COVID-guy they replaced, unless a 40-man move happens, right? Good way to use people and not have to option them back out, I guess.

[Danchat]

 

I am still in wonderment how the taxi squad of non-40-man guys work into the picture. They can't stay once the COVID-guy they replaced, unless a 40-man move happens, right? Good way to use people and not have to option them back out, I guess.

I'm pretty sure that's how it works, I think they just revert back to non-40 guys without going through the DFA process. 

[IBC220]

As a Red Sox Fan of over 50 years, I can tell you with confidence that Tzu-Wei Lin was never given a chance to play one position (he played 8 postions!) and whenever he got hot, they sat him down. This man can HIT if ever given the chance to play more than one consecutive game. I recall one instance where he was hitting 5 for his last 7 at-bats, and they sat him so that Brock Holt could get some swings in after being on the DL. You never sit someone when they are on fire like that. You wait intil they cool off and then sit them. I have never seen a player so mismanaged, and I’ve lived through a lot of bad managers since 1966.

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I am still in wonderment how the taxi squad of non-40-man guys work into the picture. They can't stay once the COVID-guy they replaced, unless a 40-man move happens, right? Good way to use people and not have to option them back out, I guess.

 

 

I'm pretty sure that's how it works, I think they just revert back to non-40 guys without going through the DFA process. 

 

Normal roster rules usually apply to isolated COVID IL replacements. COVID IL players don't count against the 40-man, so it's easy enough to add replacements, but you have to DFA/waive those replacements to remove them, just like normal.

 

However, this year, MLB said if a team is dealing with a COVID "outbreak", then those 40-man additions could be subsequently removed from the 40-man without being waived when the COVID IL players were reinstated. They didn't publicly define what constitutes an "outbreak" but I'm guessing the Twins would qualify now, with multiple postponements and players affected. Here's an article from March explaining it a bit:

 

https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2021/3/31/22359475/reminder-on-2021-mlb-playing-rules-and-covid-protocols

 

Since that article was written, the Nationals apparently qualified as an "outbreak" and did this with one outfielder on their roster, but other individual COVID IL replacements have just been treated normally.

 

Not that I would expect Riddle, Telis, and Farrell to have any trouble clearing waivers!

[Squirrel]

 

Ugh. What a mess this season is turning into.

You captured it perfectly.

[Danchat]

Kirilloff and Gordon to be called up for tonight's game, Sano to 10 day IL. I would guess Telis is removed from the roster as the other move, since we have no need for a 4th catcher. Farrell and Smeltzer are also candidates, as they're only mop-up guys.

[rdehring]

 

Ugh. What a mess this season is turning into.

Is it time to begin a rebuild?

[Musk21]

 

Is it time to begin a rebuild?

 

Play egregious for Elijah Greene!

 

[Otto von Ballpark]

Added to the 26-man roster today:

Kirilloff

Gordon

Tzu-Wei Lin (also added to 40-man roster)

 

Placed on the 10-day IL:

Sano

 

Sent to alternate site:

Blankenhorn

Telis (also removed from 40-man roster)

[nicksaviking]

 

Is it time to begin a rebuild?

 

Maybe, but it would be hard to call it a rebuild when you only have like six guys with guaranteed contracts next year. And one of them is Randy Dobnak.

[rdehring]

Just took a look at their 40-man roster. Trying to understand it is like trying to read a book printed in Latin.

 

Appears there are 45 players on the 40-man, with one (Colina) on the 60-day IL. That leaves 44. Assume that is allowed because they have what, 5?, players out with COVID. Gonna be interesting when they all come back to see the scramble as they try to get back to 41. 

[nicksaviking]

 

Play egregious for Elijah Greene!

 

Holy moly, I hadn't checked the standings, but yeah, if the season ended today the Twins would only be a half game behind Colorado for the #1 pick.

 

And after watching the road trip, I actually had already been praying for the season to end today.

[MNT1996]

 

Just took a look at their 40-man roster. Trying to understand it is like trying to read a book printed in Latin.

 

Appears there are 45 players on the 40-man, with one (Colina) on the 60-day IL. That leaves 44. Assume that is allowed because they have what, 5?, players out with COVID. Gonna be interesting when they all come back to see the scramble as they try to get back to 41. 

 

It would get even more interesting if Gordon/Kirilloff/Both have an immediate impact. Then there might be some cuts. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Appears there are 45 players on the 40-man, with one (Colina) on the 60-day IL. That leaves 44. Assume that is allowed because they have what, 5?, players out with COVID. Gonna be interesting when they all come back to see the scramble as they try to get back to 41. 

Yes, COVID IL players don't count against the 40-man.

 

Also, since we had an "outbreak" (and not just an isolated case), it appears that MLB is allowing us to remove any COVID replacements without needing to DFA them or send them through waivers. That's what we did with Telis today: "C Tomas Telis returned to Twins Alternate Training Site from Minnesota Twins."

 

I think we can eventually do the same with Riddle, Farrell, and Lin when the COVID IL guys are ready to return.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Appears there are 45 players on the 40-man

Expanding on my previous post:

 

Gordon is erroneously listed twice on the Twins 40-man roster page right now, so it's actually 44.

 

With Colina on the 60-day IL, we only need to get that number down to 41 after the COVID IL activations.

 

One of the COVID IL guys is Riddle, who will probably be activated straight off the roster back to the alternate site like Telis. That would reduce the roster to 43, with 4 COVID IL guys left to activate.

 

Farrell and Lin could be returned to the alternate site at that point, getting us down to our target number of 41 without any further cuts.

[nicksaviking]

 

It would get even more interesting if Gordon/Kirilloff/Both have an immediate impact. Then there might be some cuts. 

 

At this point, just avoiding a negative impact would be a win.

[shortround81]

Yeah, I feel like this year's rosters moves are starting to look like the All-Star game line up cards around the 8th inning 

[whosafraidofluigirussolo]

 

Normal roster rules usually apply to isolated COVID IL replacements. COVID IL players don't count against the 40-man, so it's easy enough to add replacements, but you have to DFA/waive those replacements to remove them, just like normal.

 

However, this year, MLB said if a team is dealing with a COVID "outbreak", then those 40-man additions could be subsequently removed from the 40-man without being waived when the COVID IL players were reinstated. They didn't publicly define what constitutes an "outbreak" but I'm guessing the Twins would qualify now, with multiple postponements and players affected. Here's an article from March explaining it a bit:

 

https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/2021/3/31/22359475/reminder-on-2021-mlb-playing-rules-and-covid-protocols

 

Since that article was written, the Nationals apparently qualified as an "outbreak" and did this with one outfielder on their roster, but other individual COVID IL replacements have just been treated normally.

 

Not that I would expect Riddle, Telis, and Farrell to have any trouble clearing waivers!

 

Thanks for these details. This is exactly what I was wondering about when I saw the latest moves (Lin swapped in for Telis) and what I opened this thread for!

 

I had thought that non-40-man players would be subject to typical waivers if they were sent down after replacing COVID-IL guys on the roster, but didn't know about the "outbreak" rules.

 

I would guess that Telis and Riddle would clear waivers, but wouldn't be totally confident - a catcher who's hit well at AAA (although maybe ultimately a AAAA type) or an infielder with a good defensive rep as a true shortstop could appeal to some team.