Minnesota Twins shortstop Eduardo Escobar (5). Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
MINNEAPOLIS — One wouldn’t be surprised if Minnesota Twins utility man Eduardo Escobar was a little upset with his situation this season.
Escobar was one of Minnesota’s bright spots a year ago, finishing the season with a .275 average, including 35 doubles — a number among the leaders in the American League — while playing well in the field at shortstop.
He followed it up with perhaps the best spring training performance by any Twins player, hitting .344 with four homers and 20 RBIs in 18 games.
All of that equity left Escobar on the outside looking in after a week-plus of games, assuming a role as a super utility player. While the Twins like Escobar, they view Danny Santana as a potential cornerstone player. Santana came up last season but played primarily in center field, instead of his natural shortstop.
But with the Twins viewed as a team still in rebuild-mode, the club wanted to slot Santana into his natural position — where it views him in the long-term.
That has left Escobar without a permanent home.
“It’s nice to get Escobar in there somewhere somehow as much as we can,” said Twins manager Paul Molitor. “He hasn’t played a ton yet.”
Escobar got the start in left field against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday, a game the Twins won 8-5. He went 1-for-3.
With normal left fielder Oswaldo Arcia sitting against lefty Jason Vargas, Escobar had an opportunity to crack the lineup — something he may see more of against lefties this season.
But it’s also important that Escobar, who came up as an infielder, adjusts to life in the outfield.
“Last year the few times we put Escobar out there, he looked a little bit uncomfortable,” Molitor said. “It’s early, but my impressions are that he’s kind of embracing that as an opportunity. He knows if he goes out there he has more of a chance to play a little bit more. So he seems to be kind of adapting to that a little bit. It’s a little bit challenging, different parks and different conditions and all that, but we’ll run him out there.”
