The Twins have dealt with injuries all season — from Byron Buxton’s three stints on the injured listing to Miguel Sano lacking forty-nine days to begin the season — however, it feels just like the left wrist injury Nelson Cruz suffered Thursday become one of the hardest the organization has had to deal with. Any damage to the identical wrist landed Cruz on the injured list for three weeks in May. This time, the phrase is that Cruz will see a consultant in New York to see whether or no longer he can play the rest of the season with a torn tendon in his wrist, and there is a few high-quality news that it is probably possible.
But if it isn’t, the 39-year-vintage is probably done for the year.
The Twins must desire that isn’t the case because Cruz became on one of the hottest streaks of any hitter to put on a Twins uniform earlier than he injured himself swinging and lacking at a Mike Clevinger fastball. In the 15 video games earlier than his injury, Cruz turned into hitting .426 (23-for-fifty four) with 13 domestic runs, 27 RBI and 18 runs. It was once again showing that Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey and General Manager Thad Levine had sincerely outmaneuvered the rest of the AL in bringing Cruz into the Twins.
Cruz had hit greater domestic runs than any participant in baseball from 2009 to ’18, and Falvey said that during the offseason a ton of golf equipment went after the six-time All-Star. Oh yeah, quite a few golf equipment,” Falvey said before Cruz suffered his harm. “I don’t recognize specifics about what teams were interested and presented but I recognize that groups which might be competing for the playoffs right now were genuinely within the conversation.”
The Twins’ circulate to sign Cruz while such a lot of different groups have been angling for him is probably the most significant free-agent signing of 2019.
Team-pleasant terms in 2020
Cruz signed a one-year deal worth $14 million this season with a club choice for $12 million for 2020 or a $300,000 buyout. That membership alternative appears to be a near-lock to be picked up as there’s honestly no question Cruz should get extra than $12 million at the open market. And for that rather small agreement, the Twins are becoming massive manufacturing. The largest loose-agent contracts within the offseason went to Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper ($330 million for 13 years) and San Diego’s Manny Machado ($three hundred million for 10).
We have him under club manipulate for subsequent yr,” Falvey stated. “So this is something you do this every offseason [pick up club options], but suffice to mention everything he has finished so far, we’re happy approximately. What has been super being that Cruz has no longer only lived as much as his consistent play over the past decade, but he has even-handed it? His .384 on-base percentage, .660 slugging percentage and 1.1/2 OPS are all the highest marks of his career at the same time as his .294 batting common is the third maximum mark of his profession.
He has achieved like this his whole profession, the remaining ten years; I will take it, consider me,” Falvey stated. What he has completed, he has performed the whole lot we’ve requested of him, after which some. Cruz wanted to be a Twin Falvey said one of the most worthwhile elements of Cruz’s success is that he wanted to be here.
One element that helped the choice for Cruz was that he became acquainted with Twins General Manager Thad Levine from their days with Texas and the 2014 season, while he performed in Baltimore with 2d baseman Jonathan Schoop. The signing of Cruz changed into a massive turning point for the offseason, and Falvey stated that it also was a pleasing note for the club.