The Twins have released starting pitcher Ryan Vogelsong, ending his bid to make the club. Vogelsong, perhaps sensing that he wasn’t in the running for a rotation spot, apparently asked to be released so that he could get a shot at joining another team, according to MLB Trade Rumors, which cited a report by Twins beat writer Mike Berardino.
Falvey & Co. made the right call here. Instead of signing Vogelsong to a fat, major league deal — something that may have happened under former GM Terry Ryan — the Twins agreed to a minor league contract, in which it was up to Vogelsong to make the club. He didn’t pitch well enough, he gets released, goodbye.
Extra innings…
-Don’t get your hopes up in spring training because you will get burned every time. After heaping praise on pitcher Phil Hughes, Hughes went out to the mound Wednesday and got knocked around pretty good by those pesky Houston Astros. Hughes gave up nine hits, six runs (five earned) and two home runs in two innings of work. His ERA ballooned to 6.75 from 4.50. In all, Houston banged out 15 hits on Wednesday.
-Longview, Washington native and power pitcher Trevor May will undergo Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ligament. Here’s more from MLB Trade Rumors:
Minnesota still controls May through the 2020 campaign, so he could play an important role in future Twins clubs should he make a full recovery. May will presumably spend the entire 2017 season on the 60-day disabled list and accrue a full year of service time, making him eligible for arbitration next winter.
Tomorrow is the day. My replacement is coming from my knee, so I'm going to look like I got hit by a bus in about 24 hours.
— IamTrevorMay (@trevmay65) March 21, 2017
