Twins respond as Polanco takes charge at plate

MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s becoming more clear that simply getting healthy wasn’t some magical panacea for the Twins’ ailing offense -- but still, it sure has helped to have Jorge Polanco back in the lineup.

Polanco has never been flashy, but his consistency has long been a hallmark of Minnesota’s offense, and that production was welcome as the Twins averted a sweep against Patrick Corbin and the Nationals on Sunday afternoon at Target Field.

Polanco went 3-for-4 with a game-tying homer and an RBI single as the Twins rode a strong Bailey Ober start to a 3-1 win in the series finale, Minnesota’s second win in its last eight games.

“My expectations for him are pretty high most of the time,” said Rocco Baldelli, who celebrated his 300th managerial victory. “You never know what you’re going to get when a guy is just returning. You’re not exactly expecting that person to be the one leading the charge. He led the charge, though.”

The Twins missed Polanco for the first 19 games of the season after a Spring Training setback to the left knee bone bruise that sidelined him at the end of the 2022 regular season. Since his return at the start of this homestand, he has hit safely in all three games, bringing some needed consistency while Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton and Jose Miranda still find their best swings.

Though Polanco has been known more for his prowess as a left-handed hitter, Triple-A St. Paul manager Toby Gardenhire told Baldelli that the veteran infielder’s right-handed swing looked really good during his rehab assignment -- and that was evident on Sunday.

The Twins’ slumping offense couldn’t find a big hit against Corbin in the early innings until Polanco took matters into his own hands in the fourth, launching a fly ball down the left-field line that just barely stayed fair for his first homer since last Aug. 25, tying the game at 1.

Michael A. Taylor followed with a Statcast-projected 444-foot blast and a 2-1 lead, and Polanco cashed in another rally in the fifth inning by lining an RBI single to right for his first three-hit game since June 7, 2022.

“It's just good to be back after a long time without playing in the big leagues,” Polanco said. “It's just really exciting to be back with the guys and help them win.”

Polanco hasn’t often had to watch games from the sidelines. He has been something of an iron man across the last few seasons, even playing through lingering ankle issues for multiple seasons, until he finally ended up on the injured list for the first time in his 10-year big league career last summer with back tightness and again in September with the knee troubles.

The Twins originally said during Spring Training that Polanco was on track for Opening Day as he prepared separately from the team on the back fields, but a setback late in camp pushed back what had already been a tight timeline. It was the right call, as he said the pain is now completely gone and he feels like his old self at the plate.

“It was difficult for me, I'm not going to lie, after I had a setback in Spring Training, when I was hitting and I still felt a little bit of pain,” Polanco said. “But it was the best decision, you know? It's good now.”

With the likes of Correa and Buxton providing the lineup’s star power, it’s been easy for Polanco’s production to fly under the radar. But a healthy Polanco was the Twins’ WAR leader, per Baseball-Reference, in both the 2019 “Bomba Squad” year and a challenging ‘21 campaign, and his switch-hitting bat has featured prominently into the top of Baldelli’s lineup since the skipper arrived in Minneapolis ahead of the ‘19 season.

Polanco is hitting down in the Nos. 5 and 6 spots for now, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise to see Baldelli move him back up -- perhaps to the leadoff spot against right-handers -- to ignite a struggling offense that entered the finale 23rd of 30 teams in wRC+, 28th in strikeout rate and 21st in runs scored.

“He’s historically been an even better hitter from the left side, so when he’s going out there and shooting the ball, hitting line drives all over the field right-handed, that’s almost an added bonus,” Baldelli said. “Those balls are well struck. He looked good.”