Collision puts Mickey Gasper’s status for Twins’ Opening Day in question
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Mickey Gasper veered towards his right and bent down to field a dribbling ground ball. At the same time, 6-foot-6 shortstop Brandon Winokur was moving left, trying to do the same.
With their eyes on the ball, the two collided and Gasper was slow to get up, eventually walking back to the dugout alongside manager Rocco Baldelli and athletic trainer Masa Abe.
Gasper was later carted away from the Twins’ first-base dugout to their clubhouse at and the Twins announced he had a left ankle laceration from the collision. He left the stadium on crutches after receiving six stitches.
“Winokur is a mule,” Baldelli said. “One guy is going to take the brunt of it when they go into each other.”
It’s particularly tough timing for Gasper and the Twins, who have seen the injuries pile up as camp winds down.
The utilityman, whom the Twins acquired this offseason for reliever Jovani Moran, was likely to make the team out of camp because of injuries to both Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee, both of whom will start the year on the injured list.
Gasper, who hit a home run in the Twins’ 9-3 win over the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park, has limited major league experience (just 13 games) but his versatility — he plays first, second and catches while being a switch hitter — and his ability to get on base (he has a .392 minor league on-base percentage) — had him positioned for a bench spot.
Now, his status is up in the air.
“It’s about as bad a cut as I’ve seen on a baseball field, but it also was stitched up and right now it’s closed,” Baldelli said. “We’ll keep it clean and let it heal and see what he’s going to be capable of this week.”
With Lee and Lewis out, Gasper, if healthy, would be an option for the Twins to play some second along with Willi Castro and Edouard Julien. Castro and Jose Miranda can play third base, but the Twins’ infield options are thinning seemingly by the day due to the string of injuries.
Ryan stretches out
Pablo López’s last start of the spring was just three innings as the Twins reduced his workload in anticipation for his Opening Day start on Thursday.
Joe Ryan’s was the opposite.
The Twins wanted Ryan to get more built up in his final start, and so he went 4 2/3 innings, throwing 81 pitches. He gave up one run in his outing. And now, he’s ready for his season. Ryan said he is scheduled to start Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals in the Twins’ second game of the year.
“I feel good. I’m happy with all my pitches,” Ryan said. “I think coming into camp this year not having to see how things work, knowing the splitter works, knowing the sweeper works, knowing the sinker works, four-seam, cutter, they all play and so it was just being able to pitch with those and then work on some other things.”
Briefly
Bailey Ober will make his last start of the spring on Monday when the Twins host the Pittsburgh Pirates. … Austin Martin, who turned 26 on Sunday, collected a pair of hits and scored two runs in the Twins’ win.
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