Romero called up for bullpen depth

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins shuffled their pitching roster again prior to Thursday afternoon's game, recalling Fernando Romero from Triple-A Rochester and optioning Ryan Eades back to the Red Wings to keep the bullpen fresh after Eades threw 35 pitches in Wednesday night's 10-inning loss to the Mariners.

Romero's first full season as a reliever has had its ups and downs, as he has showcased overpowering stuff with movement out of the bullpen, but he hasn't yet been able to find consistency with his release point and command, which has resulted in a 5.47 ERA in 24 2/3 innings in Triple-A this season.

"Coming into a new role and doing it at a high level is not always easy to do, and that's what he's working on," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "It does come down to going out there and executing and strike throwing as well. He has great stuff. He has the kind of stuff that moves an incredible amount. To harness it, it's not always the easiest thing to do, but when he does harness it and he's locked into that role and he's comfortable with it, he can be a great weapon."

Romero struggled in his first appearance back in the bigs on Thursday, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in the eighth inning without getting an out.

With that said, Romero posted 15 strikeouts and only six walks in 16 1/3 innings in his most recent Minor League stint after he was optioned back down in mid-May, and the Twins hope that with additional exposure, the 24-year-old Romero can continue to harness the raw stuff that they feel can play late in Major League games.

"I think he's locking in," Baldelli said. "I think his release point and strike-throwing have certainly improved. I know it's what they've been talking about with him and what he's been focusing on. It's not about placing the ball. We still want the good stuff to show up. We want him out there attacking hitters. We know he has the stuff to do it."

The Twins had gotten some length out of Eades in his first two Major League appearances, and Baldelli said he envisions Romero taking over a similar role for the time being. Romero had thrown more than one inning in six of his last seven appearances for Rochester, with at least two innings pitched in five of those outings.

Rogers on the mend

Taylor Rogers said before Wednesday's game that he felt fine as he recovers from back stiffness classified as day-to-day that has kept him out of action for the last two days. Baldelli did not specify whether the left-hander would be available out of the bullpen on Thursday, but said that keeping Rogers off his feet to give him more time to heal has been a priority.

"I think he’s feeling legitimately better every day," Baldelli said. "I think last night if we were in some sort of end-of-the-year game, some sort of important, very meaningful game, I think Rog would have been available and been pitching. The reason we wanted to stay away from him was just to be sure that we gave him an extra day or two to make sure that he’s feeling better."