With revamped approach, Reed fights for job

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Michael Reed is in Twins camp to fight for a job, but he couldn't begin his audition in earnest until nearly a month into Spring Training.

Though the 26-year-old outfielder finally got into his first game on Saturday after recovering from a sore back, Reed is acutely aware that he is facing an uncertain future -- but that's out of his hands. Already in his third Major League organization, Reed is just trying to consolidate his changed approach from a breakout 2018 and simply let the situation play out.

"I can't control it," Reed said. "I just do what I can do on the field. If they like me, they like me. I know that at the end of the day, it is a business."

If there's no room for Reed on the Twins' Major League roster, the outfielder, who is out of options, might find himself on the move again. But as it turned out, his last relocation actually helped him surge to his strong 2018 season.

When Reed moved to the Braves' organization following the '17 campaign after seven years in the Brewers' system, he knew he wanted to get more aggressive at the plate -- letting fewer hittable pitches go by -- and he wanted to change some elements of timing and load in his swing.

So, with Atlanta, he decided to study one of the franchise's all-time icons.

"I came up with a toe tap, and that's something that Chipper [Jones] did really, really well, so I just studied video of him, tried to mimic my swing after him," Reed said.

He dug into Jones' video and tried to study the timing of the Hall of Fame third baseman's toe tap. Once Reed adjusted to move his toe tap earlier in his swing, he felt that his timing was on target all season, and he slashed .342/.453/.520 with 11 homers and 10 steals in 2018 -- all career-bests, by wide margins.

The Twins claimed Reed off waivers from the Braves at the end of his productive 2018, but while doing offseason hitting work in December, Reed aggravated the lower back strain that sent him to the 60-day injured list last September.

"I've always been a guy that wanted to be out there pushing the envelope, playing through anything," Reed said. "I just came back too quick."

It was obviously tough for Reed to remain sidelined deep into Spring Training while battling for a spot on an unfamiliar roster, but he patiently worked on mobility, flexibility and freeing up his muscles as part of his long road back.

Now that Reed is healthy and playing again, he's fighting for the Twins' fourth outfield spot with Jake Cave, who hit .269/.316/.481 with 13 homers and 17 doubles in 91 games last season while filling in for the injured Byron Buxton.

Marwin Gonzalez is also able to serve as depth behind Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler and Buxton, with more help not far behind in prospects LaMonte Wade Jr., Brent Rooker and Luke Raley. Because Reed is out of options, he would need to be exposed to waivers before he could return to the Minor Leagues.

But it's still too early to rule anything out, and just like Cave broke out with the Twins last season when he finally got his extended Major League opportunity, Reed is also poised to seize any opportunity that might arise.

"He’s a big, strong guy, and when you watch him move around, you might not realize it -- and we haven’t seen a lot of him this spring -- but when he gets loose and starts opening it up, he’s a guy that has strength and has performed well offensively in his career," manager Rocco Baldelli said.