Twins taking extra precautions with Marwin

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Marwin Gonzalez is confident he will be healthy enough to play on Opening Day. But will he be free to be his complete, multipositional self? That could take some more time.

Gonzalez has made two starts at second base and one at first base since his right knee was deemed healthy enough for game action following a patellar debridement surgery in October. But the final hurdle -- playing the outfield -- hasn't yet been cleared, and any limitation there could serve as a significant factor in how the Twins choose to build out their 26-man roster ahead of Opening Day.

The veteran said following his first game as a second baseman that the mental block of putting full pressure on the knee was a bigger issue than any pain, but he doesn't expect that he will have a chance to test that as an outfielder in game action until next week.

"I don't know if it's going to stop me from playing the outfield," Gonzalez said. "Hopefully not, but I'm going to try to keep working in the training room and physically, on my lower body, too, to try and get better and be able to play in the outfield. I'm hoping that won't be an issue for the beginning of the season."

The Twins have exercised an abundance of caution with a number of their regular contributors this spring, and that could remain the case with Gonzalez into the regular season as far as the outfield is concerned.

"I think it’s more about the volume of outfield reps that we want to be attentive to," chief baseball officer Derek Falvey said. "His knee feels fine. He could definitely go out there. I think maybe we’re just being a little protective of that in the short-term here. Running him out there as frequently as he finished the year last year for us would probably not be in the best interest, in the early portion of the season."

• Box score: Phillies 5, Twins 1

With that in mind, the battle for the final bench spot on the roster might be gaining some clarity -- and not necessarily due to the performances of Willians Astudillo, Jake Cave or LaMonte Wade Jr., who could all be in the mix.

If Gonzalez isn't full go as an outfielder and the Twins remain careful with Byron Buxton's workload, a true fourth outfielder like Cave or Wade would almost become a necessity early in the season, even though the Twins like Astudillo's clubhouse presence and the flexibility of a third catcher on the roster. Cave would be the bat-first option there, while Wade could provide more defensive value -- and that's a balance that manager Rocco Baldelli and his staff may need to feel out in the coming weeks.

Twins ready to progress Bailey to sequencing work
After Homer Bailey's first spring start on Feb. 28, he said that it was too early to start showcasing and building on the adjustments he made with the A's in the second half of last season. At that point, Bailey said, he was still at the stage of feeling out his pitches.

It's not too early for that anymore. Bailey threw an extended session of live batting practice at Hammond Stadium on Tuesday with a focus on his offspeed pitches. Practicing with pitching coach Wes Johnson, Bailey worked on some elements of pitch sequencing that could have played into the second-half transformation the Twins felt they saw in him last season.

"I think the turning point was today for him," Johnson said. "We had tentatively scheduled this at the beginning of spring because of what he liked about what he did in Oakland. So we've done a different version of his Spring Training build-up in a sense."

When the Twins first signed Bailey to a one-year, $7 million contract during the offseason, Johnson said they weren’t looking at any significant change in how often Bailey threw his various pitches; but rather, when in the counts he threw them, and to which hitters. Johnson expects to get a glimpse of that in some game action when Bailey next takes the mound this spring.

"You will see some guys, for example, they will throw a split, then they will struggle to throw a pitch behind that one with command," Johnson said. "And that's what we worked on a lot. Threw a lot of splits, then you would see a fastball behind it. You would see a curveball behind it, see a slider behind it. All trying to get him back into that."

Pineda to focus on conditioning as part of ramp-up to regular season
While most of the Twins' roster turns its focus to gearing up for Opening Day in a little over two weeks, Michael Pineda continues to throw occasional side sessions alongside some additional work on the back fields. With no urgency to fully stretch Pineda out for March 26, Falvey said that the big right-hander will maintain a focus on getting his body in the right place for a full season of work.

That wasn't a manner of singling out Pineda for any shortcomings; rather, it's just a reality for the 6-foot-7, 280-pound pitcher, whose body undergoes more stress during his pitching motion than most pitchers due to his large frame. Falvey said that Pineda could reduce his throwing and dedicate that time instead to core and conditioning work or movement exercises.

"It’s just overall making sure his core strength is in a good place," Falvey said. "He’s a big guy. We know that. The focus isn’t weight specifically. The focus is making sure legs are in a good spot, core is in a good spot."

Pineda will stay in Fort Myers when the team departs for Opening Day and will prepare in extended spring training in April before the Twins plan to send him on a rehab assignment ahead of his possible May 10 reinstatement date from suspension.

Up next
José Berríos could make his penultimate start of the spring when he takes the mound for Wednesday's 12:05 p.m. CT contest against the Braves at Hammond Stadium. The Twins haven't yet made any announcement, but if Berríos stays on a schedule of four days' rest between outings, he would be lined up perfectly for the club's Opening Day start on March 26 in Oakland. The 25-year-old's matchup against Atlanta southpaw Max Fried will be televised on FOX Sports North and can also be streamed on MLB.TV and Gameday Audio.