MINNEAPOLIS — Alex Kirilloff could have been a much better communicator.
That’s the takeaway from the Minnesota Twins clubhouse Tuesday as the hitter made a surprise return six days after the team optioned him to Triple-A St. Paul.
After saying his health was fine in a meeting about his demotion last Wednesday, Kirilloff fessed up that a sore lower back which previously required an MRI was worse than he originally let on.
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Following a meeting with manager Rocco Baldelli on Tuesday, Kirilloff was removed from the St. Paul roster and added to the team’s 10-day injured list with a sore lower back. The hitter said he’s scheduled to see a back specialist soon and mentioned he’s experienced nerve issues in his leg, as well.
“It’s kind of hard to say something when you want to be out there every day, but at the same time, things need to be communicated at a high level here, especially when we’re all trying to compete to win a championship,” Kirilloff said. “I just need to do a better job of communicating how I’m feeling and what’s going on with that process so that something like this doesn’t happen again.”
Baldelli and the Twins believed they did a thorough job checking in with Kirilloff about his health and seemed frustrated by the situation. Kirilloff identified the issue and received an MRI on May 26 and said he received daily treatment from the staff.
At the time, both the Twins and Kirilloff’s representatives signed off on him continuing to play, Baldelli said. Though he convinced them off the field he was fine, Kirilloff’s play suggested otherwise.
Kirilloff carried a .794 OPS on May 1. Since then, he went 10-for-74 with three homers in 82 plate appearances, good for a .491 OPS. On Tuesday, Kirilloff described the injury as a rotational issue that is affecting his ability to swing a bat.
“If it was deemed something, at that moment, that needed to take him off the field, he would have been put on the IL immediately,” Baldelli said. “(It was) something that was workable, I would say. Did it get worse from that point on? I think he had some good days and some bad days from that point on, and that kind of brought us to this week. That’s where we’re at. There is a fine line, sometimes, in our game between pushing through something, playing through something, grinding through something, and then saying I’m in pain and I can’t play. It’s hard to say those words sometimes.”
𝗪𝗔𝗟𝗞 𝗜𝗧 𝗢𝗙𝗙 𝗧𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗦!!#MNTwins 7#RaysUp 6 pic.twitter.com/FJZke3mat8
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) June 19, 2024
Given his injury history, it’s not surprising that Kirilloff hoped to play through his lower-back troubles.
Now in his fourth season, Kirilloff has been limited to 249 career games by wrist injuries that resulted in two season-ending surgeries and a labrum issue that required shoulder surgery last season.
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But Baldelli and the Twins have tried to stress how imperative it is for injured players to speak up. They’ve done it with Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Carlos Correa when he was hampered by a plantar fasciitis issue, and others.
Last summer, Baldelli called out starting pitcher Joe Ryan after he masked a groin injury that played a role in a seven-start, midseason slump. Baldelli spoke with Kirilloff for 10 to 15 minutes in his office Tuesday before the move was finalized.
“I’ve had my fair share of injuries over the last couple of years,” Kirilloff said. “They’re not easy to navigate. As a player, you always want to stay on the field and not take yourself off the field. At the same time, you don’t want to further injure things and you don’t want to be out there not being able to do your job the way you’re expected to do your job. I’m still learning and trying to make the best decisions moving forward.”
Santana’s pinch hit lifts Twins
Before Tuesday’s contest, Baldelli discussed Carlos Santana’s love for the game and how the veteran openly lobbied him to play in the nightcap of Sunday’s doubleheader during the middle of the 90-plus-degree opener. Trying to keep everyone happy, Baldelli would go on to joke how Santana wouldn’t start the series opener against Tampa Bay.
Santana found his way into the game anyway.
Preferring a lefty hitter to face Rays reliever Phil Maton, the Twins called on Santana and he delivered a two-out, pinch hit, walk-off single for the 7-6 victory, the team’s sixth straight win. After going 3-for-6 with two walks, a homer and two RBIs in Sunday’s sweep of Oakland, Santana stayed hot and helped his team to its 20th comeback victory of the season.
“We have a lot of guys who are swinging the bats good and we can’t get them all in the lineup every day,” Baldelli said. “It’s a really interesting and good thing for us. And he’s able to go out there and put the ball in play, make something happen. … It was great.”
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Teammates in Cleveland, Santana and Maton only met by chance.
Tied headed to the ninth, the Twins cobbled together a rally as Manny Margot started the inning with a pinch hit single off Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks. Two outs later, reigning American League player of the week Correa extended the inning for Santana by hitting a comebacker for a single off Fairbanks’ hand, which resulted in his removal. Correa went 3-for-4 with a walk and two runs.
Baldelli called for Santana, who’d faced Maton six times, including two hits in five previous at-bats. On the third pitch, Santana got enough of a 1-1 curveball to parachute it to right field and bring in Margot with the game-winning run.
Since his OPS dipped to a season-low .347 on April 20, Santana is hitting .276/.356/.524 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs in 191 plate appearances.
“(I) tried to swing slow because he uses power pitches to make outs, especially in that situation,” Santana said. “I’m the veteran, so I have a lot of situations, a lot of spots, days where I don’t play. My mentality is to finish … I never take it easy. I try to be in control of the situation. I like to play. That’s why I prepare every day. That’s why baseball is my number one priority. I know the team needs me. (Baldelli) knows, I know. But I have to be controlled in the situation.”
𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀!!#MNTwins #MLB pic.twitter.com/I9SGd79F9y
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) June 19, 2024
After another rough outing by starter Pablo López, the Twins’ bullpen controlled the situation following an 83-minute rain delay.
With the Twins down a run, Jay Jackson took over and surrendered a solo homer to Josh Lowe before retiring the next five batters he faced. The trio of Jorge Alcala, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran each retired the side in order.
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The bullpen’s effort and multiple comebacks resulted in the Twins improving to 14-5 in one-run games.
Down 4-0 in the fourth inning, Willi Castro provided the Twins their first hit with runners in scoring position after starting 0-for-9, his double to right clearing the bases. Trevor Larnach followed with an opposite-field double to tie the game.
López gave the lead right back before the rain delay though, yielding a solo homer to Brandon Lowe. The 16 homers allowed by López leads the major leagues.
“The team was extremely relentless,” López said. “(The bullpen) just got after it, quick innings, quick outs. The offense just putting up good at-bats, putting pressure on the bases. It’s really, really good to see, and it makes me want to … I have to be better. If I want to keep up with the team … if I want to catch up. If I want to, you know, bring something to the table, I have to be better.”
The Twins rallied again in the bottom of the fifth, scoring two runs to tie it at six. Kepler blasted a solo homer and Correa walked and later scored on a Ryan Jeffers sacrifice fly.
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(Top photo of Alex Kirilloff from earlier this season: Jesse Johnson / USA Today)
