Arraez set to play 'a fair amount' of 3B

MILWAUKEE -- The Twins hope that they won't need to think about life without Josh Donaldson for long, as they remain optimistic about the third baseman's mild right hamstring strain. But how will they cover the innings at third base in the meantime?

If Saturday's and Sunday's starting lineups have been any indication, Luis Arraez is likely first in line -- but there's likely more to it than that.

"I really mean this: I'm not getting too far ahead of ourselves as far as positional planning," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "I think we're going to see Luis play a bunch of third base. I think we could see [Willians] Astudillo over at third base. I think we could see [Miguel] Sanó over at third base."

What could that look like?

Arraez has earned both starts at the hot corner in Donaldson's absence, with the Twins facing right-handed starters in both of those games. That's what makes most sense, since Jake Cave and his career .800 OPS against right-handers will be able to fill left field. The Twins have often maintained a greater lineup balance against right-handers in the past.

But things could get more interesting when a lefty is on the mound. The Twins haven't hesitated to load their lineup with right-handed hitters -- and Arraez needs an occasional day off, too.

That could mean Miguel Sanó moving to third base, with another right-handed hitter like Astudillo or Brent Rooker filling in at first. The Twins shied away from moving Sanó off first base while he got used to the new position last year, but they're confident in his ability to bounce around without detriment to his performance now that he has developed his instincts. The Twins got Sanó two starts at the hot corner during Spring Training.

"I think Miggy's at a good point at first base," Baldelli said. "He's going to continue to learn and keep working. But I think he's comfortable over there now, where there's no real detriment if we have to move him to the other side of the diamond. I think he can handle it fine."

All this will remain theoretical for a few more days, because the Twins don't face a left-handed starter until they run into Matthew Boyd in Wednesday's series finale in Detroit. Given his ability batting leadoff, there's also the need to keep Arraez's bat in the lineup as often as they can.

As always, there are a lot of moving pieces.

"Health is obviously a big factor in where guys can fit -- and sometimes you grind on it, think about it for a little while, and usually you stick with your first thoughts. And sometimes, you actually listen and hear from everyone else's thoughts and ideas, and you make a move," Baldelli said.

But in the end, that all appears to have been a lengthy way of saying...

"Yeah, I think we could see Luis play a fair amount of third base in the time being," Baldelli said.

Garver, Jeffers expected to see 50-50 split
The Twins are in the enviable position of having two starting-caliber catchers on their roster, but dividing the playing time isn't quite as simple as maintaining a platoon as both Mitch Garver and Ryan Jeffers have right-handed bats with pop.

However, there might be some distinguishing factors between the two. The Twins clearly favor Garver against left-handers, while Jeffers has actually been better against right-handers throughout his Minor League career. Baldelli said there could be some matchup considerations that could lead to either backstop starting two or even three games in a row at times -- but in the big picture, expect a timeshare.

"I don’t see any reason to lean one way or the other," Baldelli said. "Both are capable than handling more of a workload than a 50-50 split. But for the most part, as we go into it, until something changes, we'll go roughly half-and-half."

Happ expected to be fully ready
Baldelli expects left-hander J.A. Happ to be fully built up for his Tuesday start in Detroit. The veteran had been a late arrival to camp due to a positive COVID-19 test upon intake, but he built up to 73 pitches in his final outing of Spring Training and threw a simulated game during Wednesday's workout at American Family Field.

"He's ready," Baldelli said. "I don’t know any other way to say it than he's ready to go out there. He's confident and he's ready to go."