CHICAGO -- It's been quite the hectic week for left-hander Adam Wilk, who officially joined the Twins on Thursday after being claimed off waivers from the Mets.
Wilk had to take a redeye flight across the country on Sunday to make an emergency start for the Mets after Matt Harvey was suspended, and after allowing five runs and three homers in 3 2/3 innings, he was designated for assignment. But just three days later, he was claimed by Minnesota, and he had to fly from Las Vegas to Chicago to join his new club.
"It was pretty crazy," Wilk said. "We had traveled earlier that day already from Vegas to Albuquerque [before I was called up]. So it was pretty insane. From Vegas, to Denver, to Albuquerque, and then for me from Albuquerque to L.A. to New York all in 24 hours. It was pretty chaotic."
But Wilk, 29, said he was happy to land a spot with the Twins, and gives the club depth as a reliever, despite pitching almost exclusively as a starter in the Minors. He found out about the waiver claim late Wednesday morning and had to cancel his plans to golf with friends before packing up his place in Las Vegas to head to Chicago.
Wilk said he's cherishing his time in the Majors, especially because he had season-ending surgery on his right hip labrum last June and wasn't sure how he'd feel physically this year. But he's been healthy and excited about joining his sixth organization.
"I was pretty happy," Wilk said. "Getting DFA'd by New York, you always want to be claimed by somebody. Just being able to get back into this and have a team like the Mets giving me an opportunity and now the Twins giving me an opportunity, it's just fun to be back playing again. I'm just trying to enjoy it more now. I've been with a lot of different teams."
Wilk, who had a 5.91 ERA with 29 strikeouts, five walks and five homers allowed in 32 innings at Triple-A Las Vegas, said he worked closely with former Twins ace Frank Viola, who is the Mets' Triple-A pitching coach. His numbers weren't great, but the southpaw noted Las Vegas is not an easy place to pitch.
"He was big on working with me on my strengths," Wilk said. "Vegas is a tough place to pitch. Wind blows out, small field, ball carries pretty well. He told me I had to throw strikes and get ahead in the zone, and hits are going to happen. There are going some balls that carry out 20 feet because of the wind."
Worth noting
• Right-hander Jose Berrios will start on Saturday against the Indians. Berrios has dominant numbers at Triple-A with a 1.13 ERA in six starts.
• Second baseman James Dozier, who missed three games with a sprained left ankle suffered on Friday, returned to the lineup on Thursday. He finished 1-for-4 with his fifth home run of the season.