But the dominoes started falling earlier in the week, when the Twins decided they just had to bring back Matt Belisle, who has thrown literally one pitch since his acquisition. (Blink and you missed it.)
To put him on the active roster, they waived infielder Gregorio Petit. At one point I seriously thought he might have moved ahead of Ehire Adrianza, the Worst Pinch-Runner in the World, but no. Petit cleared waivers and he was stashed at Rochester.
Then came Thursday's Sano shakeup, and the return of Joe Mauer from the disabled list. Lost in the tumult over Sano was the simultaneous demotion of Jake Cave, who had been platooning in center with Ryan LaMarre, with a corresponding move made Friday.
That move was bringing up Motter.
What all this means for the lineup:
- Eduardo Escobar remains the third baseman;
- Mauer presumably gets the bulk of the first base time, but he and Logan Morrison will split first and DH duties;
- Robbie Grossman is the backup outfielder, with either Max Kepler or Eddie Rosario in center if LaMarre needs a break;
- Motter is the backup infielder, with Adrianza the main shortstop;
- It remains a 13-man pitching staff.
Obviously, the Mauer and Sano moves deal with the foundation pieces of the roster. Motter, Cave and Petit are fringe guys. Theoretically, Jorge Polanco is back from his suspension in a couple of weeks, and when he returns, Motter doesn't matter, at least in terms of the roster. (Polanco was to begin a minor-league tune-up this weekend, but he reportedly damaged a finger in a car door, so that's been put off. If it's not one thing it's another.)
