Astudillo making case for Opening Day spot

Nelson Cruz had a question for manager Rocco Baldelli on Tuesday: Why does the skipper allow Willians Astudillo to play right field, but not him?

"Astudillo is like, 'What are you doing? I'm trying to make the team! Shut up!'" Cruz said with a hearty laugh.

Try as the 40-year-old designated hitter might, Baldelli's heart will not be swayed. That's why it was Astudillo -- not Cruz -- who was in right field for the first time this spring in the Twins' 9-1 loss to the Red Sox at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., on Wednesday. And indeed, Baldelli and Minnesota appear to be comfortable using the multipositional "La Tortuga" as an option in the corner outfield during the regular season, too.

"Willians can play pretty much anywhere on the field," Baldelli said. "We haven’t gotten him very much time in the outfield at all. Truthfully, he’s worked at other spots significantly more than he’s worked out there, but at different points in the year, we know things are going to come up, and there will be some opportunities for him to get out there and help us."

Astudillo made eight appearances in the outfield in 2019, compared to 21 at catcher and 30 around the infield. Using him out there clearly isn't Minnesota's first choice -- especially considering the depth of outfielders on its roster -- but that versatility certainly can't hurt. That's doubly the case in a National League stadium like American Family Field in Milwaukee, where the Twins will open their regular season.

• Twins' 2021 regular-season schedule

Considering that the Twins' roster flexibility will already be tied up by Cruz's presence on the 26-man, Astudillo's ability to fill in as the third catcher, a backup infielder and evidently even as a depth outfielder could give Baldelli needed leeway in the realm of double switches and late-game pinch-hitting. Especially since the club's backup catcher on any given day will likely be one of the better bench bats available.

That could continue to help Astudillo's case for the final spot on the Opening Day roster -- and continued opportunities to take those coveted defensive chances from Cruz, who will still travel with a second baseman's glove, an outfielder's glove and a first baseman's mitt. It helps that Astudillo is hitting .389 with one homer this spring, too.

Sorry, Nelson.

"Yeah, I bet Nellie wishes he could get that opportunity," Baldelli said. "Are there a few select situations where we may think about it a little bit? Yeah, maybe. But I think we’re more likely to see Willians out there for a while than Nellie and I think that works just fine."

Bally Sports North announces regular-season broadcast schedule
All 162 of the Twins' regular-season games will be aired on television for the fourth time in franchise history, as confirmed when Bally Sports North (rebranding from FOX Sports North) announced its full broadcast schedule on Wednesday.

The network will carry 156 games in local markets across Bally Sports North and Bally Sports North PLUS, including all games not exclusively airing on a national platform. Fox Sports 1 will air six games, while ESPN has preliminarily selected four games and FOX and YouTube have each claimed one.

Justin Morneau will ascend to the role of lead analyst alongside longtime play-by-play man Dick Bremer, with Roy Smalley and LaTroy Hawkins also expected to take some games in the booth. Marney Gellner and Audra Martin will return as sideline reporters, and pregame and postgame coverage on "Twins Live" will remain in the hands of Anthony LaPanta, Annie Sabo, Tim Laudner and Glen Perkins.

Pitchers take batting practice
Though it's possible American League pitchers won't be hitting for much longer, a few of the Twins' starters are eager to take advantage of the club's opening series in Milwaukee.

Notably, the group of pitchers that took some hacks at Hammond Stadium before the Twins' contest against the Red Sox across town included both Opening Day starter Kenta Maeda and Randy Dobnak, as documented by Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Maeda has also been taking some swings in the batting cages this spring and clearly misses the chances he got at the plate during his days with the Dodgers.

"I'm kind of at a loss for words getting reports on the pitchers and the hitting," Baldelli said. "I think it played out the way I thought it would. Kenta got pretty excited. He's probably been hitting BP by himself for the last four months. If that was the case, I wouldn't be surprised. He gets really amped up and he's got a good swing."

The only home run of Maeda's U.S. career came in his Major League debut for the Dodgers on April 6, 2016. He's going to do everything he can to add to that total.

"Kenta's probably trying to get back in the game on Sunday to get a few swings," Baldelli said. "More than anyone, he's pretty adamant about making sure he gets the adequate number of at-bats to be able to show us what he can do. No one else is really sprinting for the bat rack at this point."

Around the horn
• Michael Pineda threw around 70 pitches in four innings as Minnesota's starter in a "B" game between the Minor League depth players in Twins and Red Sox camp on Wednesday morning.

"This is perfect for today, 70 pitches," Pineda said. "That’s what we want; that’s what I threw."

• The Twins will continue to reassess Jorge Polanco's condition on a daily basis, but they expect him to return from his left adductor tightness within a week. Baldelli said that the second baseman will be off from the game schedule for a "few days" -- likely four or five at most -- before they evaluate his readiness for play.

Up next
After a scheduled off-day, the Twins return to face the Braves on Friday. Randy Dobnak is set to make his third appearance (second start), with Atlanta sending righty Ian Anderson to the hill. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. CT. Watch the action live on MLB.TV or listen on MLB Gameday Audio.