Minnesota traveled to Toronto on Thursday night. Several players were unable to enter Canada because of their vaccination status. So, what players can’t make the trip, and who is expected to join the team?

 

This season, Minnesota only makes one trip to Toronto unless the Twins and Blue Jays meet in the playoffs. Thankfully, Major League Baseball adjusts its roster rules for situations like those facing the Twins this weekend. Players not on the 40-man roster can be added for the Toronto series to take the place of non-vaccinated players. 

Minnesota placed Max Kepler, Caleb Thielbar, Emilio Pagán, and Trevor Megill on the restricted list ahead of this series against the Blue Jays. They did not travel to Toronto with the team. Kepler has touted the Twins clubhouse atmosphere this year as being one of the reasons for his offensive reemergence. There was also an easy way for everyone to be together on this trip if he decided to meet Canada's vaccination requirement. Pagán also released a statement in regards to not being with the team. 

Here is a comment from Caleb Thielbar: 

Here are the players expected to take their place.  

Chi Chi Gonzalez, SP
Chi Chi Gonzalez is expected to start Friday’s game in Toronto. Minnesota signed him this winter to add organizational depth, and he has pitched at St. Paul this entire season. In eight games (five starts), he has posted a 3.44 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP and a 35-to-14 strikeout to walk ratio. Gonzalez came to the Twins from the Rockies organization, where he pitched over 100 big-league innings last season with a 6.46 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Luckily, Toronto’s lineup is full of right-handed hitters as righties have an OPS that is 114 points lower against Gonzalez this season. 

Ian Hamilton, RP
Minnesota claimed Ian Hamilton off of waivers in February of 2021, and he pitched all of last season in St. Paul. During the 2021 season, he posted a 4.12 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP, but his 13.1 K/9 was undoubtedly a bright spot. So far in 2022, Hamilton has been terrific as he has only allowed one earned run in 10 appearances, and he has struck out 17 batters in 12 2/3 innings. Multiple pitchers were part of the unvaccinated group that was ineligible to travel to Toronto, so Hamilton gets an opportunity to prove he belongs back at the big-league level. 

Mark Contreras, OF
Mark Contreras was on the team's taxi squad for this road trip, so he can be an easy addition to the roster. He made his big-league debut with the Twins earlier this season, but he was limited to two games and three plate appearances. Minnesota drafted Contreras in the 9th round of the 2017 MLB Draft from the University of California, Riverside. He spent his first four minor league seasons moving steadily through the Twins system with a .717 OPS and 141 extra-base hits in 411 games. At 27-years old, he has been older than the average age of the competition at each level in the minors. His first taste of the big leagues was very brief, so it is an excellent opportunity for him to step in and get a more extended look. 

Jharel Cotton, RP
The Twins claimed Jharel Cotton off of waivers from the Texas Rangers this winter. He made four big-league appearances in April and allowed one earned run in 6 2/3 innings with a 7-to-6 strikeout to walk ratio. Minnesota designated him for assignment, and he cleared waivers before accepting his outright assignment to Triple-A. For the Saints, he has made ten appearances and allowed four earned runs on ten hits. His walk rate (3.9 BB/9) and strikeout rate (13.9 K/9) have improved in the minors. Cotton hasn't appeared in a game since May 31, so his arm should be fresh enough to make multiple appearances this weekend if he is needed.

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For those privately making predictions (I’m sure many of us were): Pagan was the only one I got right out if the five.  Jim Souhan’s column said there was a starting pitcher among the five.  
Kepler is the son of ballet dancers from Germany - that doesn’t seem to be in the anti-vax demographic.  Megill and Thielbar were not on my radar.  

2 minutes ago, strumdatjag said:

For those privately making predictions (I’m sure many of us were): Pagan was the only one I got right out if the five.  Jim Souhan’s column said there was a starting pitcher among the five.  
Kepler is the son of ballet dancers from Germany - that doesn’t seem to be in the anti-vax demographic.  Megill and Thielbar were not on my radar.  

The original reporting indicated five Twins, including a starting pitcher.

This list is four Twins, not including a starter. 

Making some assumptions about the accuracy of earlier reporting, one can draw from a couple conclusions. 

Setting aside all of the back-and-forth that comes with opinions about COVID vaccination, I'm hoping that these roster additions all have a great series and show that they belong up (or back) at MLB. I'm maybe most curious about Hamilton.

In regards to Kepler's comments that he wishes everyone could be there - THEY COULD HAVE.  They simply chose not to.  A little less of a Kepler fan now.

I do wish they were all there!

1 minute ago, LastOnePicked said:

Setting aside all of the back-and-forth that comes with opinions about COVID vaccination, I'm hoping that these roster additions all have a great series and show that they belong up (or back) at MLB. I'm maybe most curious about Hamilton.

Yeah, good point. Wally Pipp someone.

Everybody missed 102 games due to Covid in 2020. Correa and Ryan, among others, have missed games due to Covid in 2022 and they are vaccinated. What’s a few more? Honestly, teams dealing with injuries and illness and life issues is nothing new. It’s part of the game. Time to move on.

Guessing that the fourth player to be added will be Celestino, who is coming off COVID, or not.

Gonna hurt Megill as he is battling to make a good impression and stick with the Twins for awhile.  Personally, like what I have seen.  Will also hurt that he will be losing that $4,500 per game check after getting minor league pay the first two months of the season.  On the flip side, there are two young men who are not on the 40-man roster who will get a chance to make their good impression.  And I am certain that three games at $4,500 will be a nice bonus for them.  Is it correct that these two who aren't on the 40-man will be sent back to St. Paul and do not have to be DFA'd? 

And count me among those who is surprised to see Kepler's name on this list.  The good news is that will give him three days off to continue healing his leg injury.  Is it possible that is one of the reason's the Twins didn't put him on the IL?  If he made a quick recovery, he would be back on the field.  If the injury dragged on longer, they knew he would be replaced for this series?

 

 

15 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

The original reporting indicated five Twins, including a starting pitcher.

This list is four Twins, not including a starter. 

Making some assumptions about the accuracy of earlier reporting, one can draw from a couple conclusions. 

Did the report say the five were all vaccination related? If not, then the SP might be Sonny Gray, who went on the IL for injury reasons.

I'm a little surprised they added Megill to the roster a few days ago.

Celestino has been approved for reinstatement. Is travelling with the team to Toronto, but still is...weak. Contreras is also on the 40-man roster. So the Twins aren't getting a look at another player for free, so to speak.

Here's hoping the Twins get two looks at Hamilton on the mound. The guy has the stuff and has been lights out this season with St. Paul, albeit only 12 innings pitched. He seems to have cut down on his walks just a tad.

Chi Chi was signed when the Twins couldn't make 40-man roster adds, and the underlying seemed to be that he would've been signed as a 40-man guy. The Twins get the benefit of a major league looksee on a potential backend starter. Out of all the "vets" at St. Paul, Gonzalez and Derek Rodriguez seem to be the major two that could contribute to the Twins in a pinch. Rodriguez did for three innings before being sent out for a fourth earlier this year. 

Cano also was added to the pen in place of Grayt, so the pen should be solid for the three gamnes, although we don't have a closer (wait, we DON'T have a closer, okay).

I'm hoping Joe Ryan can make a rehab appearance at St. Paul this weekend, so he can, at least, pitch a game against the Yankees, or at least start the Tampa Bay series. I was hoping he would've been back from COVID to finish the Detroit series.

Losing Kepler will hurt (he's been good thus far). However, Pagan and Thielbar have been awful this year. We won't miss them.

Let's hope our favorite team can turn things around. They need to in order to stay in the division lead.

13 minutes ago, RLTW894 said:

Everybody missed 102 games due to Covid in 2020. Correa and Ryan, among others, have missed games due to Covid in 2022 and they are vaccinated. What’s a few more? Honestly, teams dealing with injuries and illness and life issues is nothing new. It’s part of the game. Time to move on.

This difference is this one is a choice. everyone missed 2020, Correa, Ryan, et al got a disease. injuries/illnesss/life issues are not choices that could have been avoided. the players that were placed on the restricted list could have made a decision anytime in the past year and a half that would allow them to play in Toronto. 

Very disappointed to see Kepler's name on this list. My estimate of his functional intelligence quotient just took a hit. Get Vaxxed, Max!

24 minutes ago, farmerguychris said:

In regards to Kepler's comments that he wishes everyone could be there - THEY COULD HAVE.  They simply chose not to.  A little less of a Kepler fan now.

I do wish they were all there!

Correa and Ryan won’t be in Toronto, either, from what I can find. They are all vaccinated and out due to COVID. It’s just part of life with COVID. Is this the only reason you think less of a person? Really?

If it weren’t for COVID loss of players, we wouldn’t have seen Smelzer break out the way we have. It’s a huge deal for the Twins to find another solid starter. We will also get to see more young players get a chance to stand out. This is a really good thing if even one of them proves themselves worthy of being on the team, especially if they are a RP.

I’m not worried at all about this series.

Unofficially, Toronto’s best player according to WAR? Covid, lol.

6 minutes ago, BobAzar said:

This difference is this one is a choice. everyone missed 2020, Correa, Ryan, et al got a disease. injuries/illnesss/life issues are not choices that could have been avoided. the players that were placed on the restricted list could have made a decision anytime in the past year and a half that would allow them to play in Toronto. 

Do you not respect the choices of others? If so, then it’s part of life with Covid. If not, then, well, not sure what I can say to you..

12 minutes ago, BobAzar said:

This difference is this one is a choice. everyone missed 2020, Correa, Ryan, et al got a disease. injuries/illnesss/life issues are not choices that could have been avoided. the players that were placed on the restricted list could have made a decision anytime in the past year and a half that would allow them to play in Toronto. 

If they haven't done it in a year and half, what makes you think they would do it for 3 games in early June? If you were somebody that hadn't gotten the shot and then watched a quarter of your team that has the shot get Covid, would you run out and get it or take your chances again (Kepler had Covid once before for example)

As for the games, losing Kepler could hurt, but the others guys, seems much to about nothing. And the Twins IMO took advantage of Canadian rule, but being able to start a guy they couldn't have before, plus maybe the relief pitchers can stay back and work on getting better.

34 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

The original reporting indicated five Twins, including a starting pitcher.

This list is four Twins, not including a starter. 

Making some assumptions about the accuracy of earlier reporting, one can draw from a couple conclusions. 

Or the starting pitcher is already on the IL. There is no need to move them to the restricted list. What I had heard, 4 pitchers, including a starter and one position player

3 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Or the starting pitcher is already on the IL. There is no need to move them to the restricted list. What I had heard, 4 pitchers, including a starter and one position player

If Gray was unvaccinated, it seems strange they would have waited before putting him on the IL. And Joe Ryan had to be vaccinated to be in the Olympics. 

2 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Or the starting pitcher is already on the IL. There is no need to move them to the restricted list. What I had heard, 4 pitchers, including a starter and one position player

Yeah, I think Gray and Coloumbe were the only ones placed on the IL AFTER the report. Joe Ryan pitched in the Olympics last year though so it's not him, they all had to be vaccinated.

But good lord Kepler, if you're not going to get vaccinated, find a better soundbite. Was he trying to stir the pot? That quote was an awful decision.

9 minutes ago, Thebigalguy said:

Very disappointed to see Kepler's name on this list. My estimate of his functional intelligence quotient just took a hit. Get Vaxxed, Max!

If the measure of one’s intelligence is whether or not you agree with their choices, then it’s a truly pathetic world we live in.

I tend to believe people have strengths and weaknesses and look to see overall the kind of human they are in spite of whatever flaws they may or may not have. 

I’m truly, sincerely and honestly disappointed that there are people who are so extremely judgmental over such small issues. If you are concerned about Max infecting you, go get vaccinated. Problem solved. Move along.

Ultimately, this is a three game series, and not that big of a deal. But if they have to play Toronto in the postseason...yikes.

15 minutes ago, Squirrel said:

Or the starting pitcher is already on the IL. There is no need to move them to the restricted list.

That was my point, poorly stated as it was.

Recommended. Also cheap and short.

https://www.veryshortintroductions.com/view/10.1093/actrade/9780199543335.001.0001/actrade-9780199543335

18 minutes ago, RLTW894 said:

Do you not respect the choices of others? If so, then it’s part of life with Covid. If not, then, well, not sure what I can say to you..

When it comes to public health issues, choices of others have large ramifications. but my point was saying "its part of the game" is a poor reason. These are deliberate choices made by players that have an effect on the team. getting hit by a ball and breaking a bone is part of the game, needing TJ surgery is part of the game. a deliberate non-choice is part of life, but not that game. 

19 minutes ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

If they haven't done it in a year and half, what makes you think they would do it for 3 games in early June? If you were somebody that hadn't gotten the shot and then watched a quarter of your team that has the shot get Covid, would you run out and get it or take your chances again (Kepler had Covid once before for example)

Athletes will go to all kinds of lengths to get a competitive advantage, yes, I'd think anyone who truly had winning as their top priority would get vaccinated.

But I understand that's not every athlete's top priority.

20 minutes ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

If they haven't done it in a year and half, what makes you think they would do it for 3 games in early June? If you were somebody that hadn't gotten the shot and then watched a quarter of your team that has the shot get Covid, would you run out and get it or take your chances again (Kepler had Covid once before for example)

As for the games, losing Kepler could hurt, but the others guys, seems much to about nothing. And the Twins IMO took advantage of Canadian rule, but being able to start a guy they couldn't have before, plus maybe the relief pitchers can stay back and work on getting better.

Because, according to Kepler, (paraphrasing) its sad that the whole team can't be together. yeah it is, but its because of a deliberate choice he made. If he wanted the team to be more whole, he could have. 

The fact that Chi-Chi Gonzalez is starting a game for a first place team in June makes me want to burn down Target Field.

7 minutes ago, BobAzar said:

Because, according to Kepler, (paraphrasing) its sad that the whole team can't be together. yeah it is, but its because of a deliberate choice he made. If he wanted the team to be more whole, he could have. 

agree, his comment was moronic. Unlike the Pagan's comment that seems well thought out and informational (if if you don't like or agree with it)