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Twins excited to welcome Jorge Polanco back

betsy helfand, pioneer press
·4 min read

Jorge Polanco described himself as “muy excited” to be reunited with his teammates back on the field.

And who could blame him?

The Twins second baseman stayed back in Fort Myers, Fla., while his teammates traveled north to begin the season, rehabbing a bone bruise in his left knee, suffered last August on a slide at the plate.

The injury, he said, stretched on longer than he anticipated because of a setback this spring. At this point, he said, there’s no lingering pain at all, and after completing a rehab assignment with the Triple-A Saints, the Twins welcomed him back to their lineup on Friday, optioning rookie Edouard Julien to make space on the roster.

“I’m really excited to get back with the major-league club again,” Polanco said. “I’m just happy to be here.”

And the Twins are happy to have him back.

While Polanco briefly played through the injury, he ended up spending the last month of the 2022 season on the injured list and missed the first three weeks of this season, making his return a long time coming.

“We were pretty deliberate, because we needed to be, with his rehab and recovery,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “… He’s been to Triple-A. He’s been playing. He’s been coming back the following day in good shape. He’s in a good frame of mind and he’s ready to get in some major-league ballgames.”

Farmer feeling better

The first thing Kyle Farmer said after Lucas Giolito’s 91.6 mile per hour fastball hit him flush in the face was that he couldn’t breathe. Four of his bottom teeth were knocked out of place, ending up in the back of his throat. His tongue was stuck behind those teeth, and blood was gushing everywhere.

Just over a week removed from the injury, Farmer’s bottom lip is still swollen, with a scab running from the top to the bottom of his lip. The gruesome injury required 35 stitches, Farmer said, some of which dissolved and others which need to be taken out.

“He looked good,” Baldelli said. “In actuality, I did not expect his face to look like it does now. I mean that. … I’m really happy when I see him and see a smile on his face and see him moving around. He looks good.”

While there’s still a long way to go — Farmer said he has to have four root canals next week and then another surgery in a month to get wire taken out of his mouth — the infielder is already feeling much better.

For a few days, he was eating only smoothies, shedding about five pounds, and could barely talk. Now, he’s eating solid food, though he can’t bite into anything just yet.

“I had a Chik-fil-A biscuit and I had to cut it in eighths and just put it in the back of my mouth. It still tasted very good,” Farmer said. “I cut my food like I cut up my son’s food now, so our plates look the same, but it’s all good.”

Farmer has started participating in some baseball activities, like hitting off a tee, throwing and running. Friday, he was out taking groundballs with his teammates. In a week or so, he expects to go out and rehab in St. Paul.

As for getting back in the batter’s box, Farmer said he’s been talking recently with his friend Justin Turner, who was hit by a pitch in the face this spring training, about what it might be like when he’s ready to face live pitching again.

“I asked him and he’s like, ‘You’re just going to have to bite the bullet and do it. Remember you’re a baseball player and this is what you do,’ ” Farmer said. “It’s part of the job and you just have to get over the fear.”

Maeda update

When Twins pitcher Kenta Maeda crumpled to the ground on Thursday after being struck on the left ankle by a comebacker, it looked like he would require a trip to the injured list.

But the way he came in on Friday has given the Twins hope that that may not be the case. Maeda avoided any broken bones and has been on his feet, walking around.

“The swelling he had yesterday is not there,” Baldelli said. “He’s been pretty much stating that he thinks he’s going to be ready to throw tomorrow and get out there. Again, we’re not making any decisions right now, but he is in much better shape than we thought when we left.”

Briefly

A day after the Twins’ bullpen was heavily taxed because of Maeda’s early injury and exit, the Twins recalled starter Simeon Woods Richardson to help give them some length out of the bullpen. Jorge Alcala, who threw 41 pitches on Thursday, was optioned to Triple-A to make room on the roster.

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