MINNEAPOLIS ¨C The Twins announced a series of transactions on Thursday morning, but the biggest one may be the one that wasn¡¯t in the official release.
Minnesota placed utility man Willi Castro on the 10-day injured list with a strained right oblique, recalled infielder/catcher Mickey Gasper from Triple-A St. Paul and optioned right-hander David Festa to St. Paul.
That leaves an open roster spot, and while the club didn¡¯t make the transaction on Thursday, it will be taken by right-hander Pablo López, who has been out since his last start on April 8 due to a strained right hamstring. L¨®pez will be activated in time to start Friday night¡¯s series opener against the Angels.
Castro, who turned 28 on Thursday, had not appeared in a game since experiencing tightness in his oblique on April 16. The club had hoped to avoid placing him on the IL, but he continued to feel discomfort when swinging left-handed, and so the decision was made to shelve him. Castro said he expects to be out about 10 more days, and he will take a break from most baseball activities for a couple of days before ramping back up again.
¡°It's kind of weird,¡± Castro said. ¡°I know that right-handed doesn't bother me. Left-handed does. I can swing left-handed, but I feel if I do my game swing, it's going to get tight or tighter than it is. But I can catch ground balls, I can throw, I can hit right-handed. I can run.¡±
Festa made three starts in L¨®pez¡¯s absence, pitching well each time but not finishing the fifth inning in any of his starts. He will return to the rotation at St. Paul while L¨®pez resumes his place atop the Twins¡¯ starting five.
¡°I think it was a successful run for [Festa], and I think we¡¯re going to see him again,¡± said manager Rocco Baldelli. ¡°I would assume he¡¯s going to make a fair number of starts for us this year. But having that depth will help. You¡¯re going to see that over time.¡±