Gene Larkin

Trout hovering off a rookie lefty specialist. The only one that appears surprised by that extreme likelihood is Molitor.

At some point, the Twins will have to add Ervin Santana back to the 40-man

Twins have fared well against lefty starters this season but I wouldn't be surprised if they struggle mightily against Buehrle, who always seemed to dominate the Twins even during their contending years

I would argue the team really started to click after Rosario and then Hicks entered the lineup. After yesterday's 2-hit game, Rosario is hitting .273 (just 2 points below Mauer, although in fewer at bats) has 9 RBIs and his average with RISP is above .400. Hicks in a small sample size is hitting .244 but has come up with some key hits and walks. That's not even talking about the plus defense they're provided.

I agree Rosario's K rate in majors is way too high, but it does not seem to be indicative of his minor-league career. According to FanGraph, it was 20.2% in 2014 and 21.4% in 2013 in AA and in 23 games in AAA this year it was 17%

Escobar (a favorite of many on this board) and Santana also rarely walk and strike out too much compared to their power numbers but they seem to have stuck at the big league level

Rosario may look overmatched in certain at bats but after going 1-3 Sunday his average is back to .242 with 6 RBIs. Not great but not that much worse than some Twins regulars (though in a smaller sample size). I know most Twins bloggers and many fans think it's only a matter of time until he's sent back to AAA but I'm not so sure. I listened to Rob Anthony on 1500 ESPN Sunday and he talked about how the Twins liked the "extra dimenson" he brought to the big league club with his plus fielding in left field and delivering hits in clutch situations

Not to belabor the point, but in all or parts of eight minor league seasons, Hicks has a total of 41 HRs with a .426 SLG and .806 OPS. In comparison, Rosario, who I don't consider a major power hitter, has 60 HRs with a .480 SLG and .820 OPS in all or parts of six minor league seasons. Like Hicks, Rosario is a plus defender in the corners.

Even in the minors Hicks has not shown he can hit with enough power to justify being a MLB corner outfielder. Once Buxton arrives Hicks is a fourth outfielder at best.

In regard to Rosario, I was referring to what he's shown so far in driving in runs from the 7th or 8th hole, particularly with 2 outs. He already has as many RBIs (5) as Schafer and Hermann and nearly as many as Robinson and Santana (7) and Arcia (8) in far fewer games.

Seth, send Rosario to the minors to make room for Hicks? Really? How much better would Eddie have had to have hit in his first 5 games to impress you?