OAKLAND, Calif. — Minnesota Twins designated hitter Miguel Sano showed up at O.Co Coliseum in
Oakland on Sunday using crutches, the result of a sprained right ankle suffered in pre-game drills on Saturday.
“He had difficulty putting weight on his foot and there’s some minor swelling,” manager Paul Molitor said. “They got him the crutches last night to help him get back to the hotel.”
Molitor, who did not think the injury was severe, said he injured the ankle while fielding ground balls at first base.
“He was coming off the bag to make a play and came down on a loose ball. It seemed like he was OK but he aggravated it more during the game. After his last at-bat, he came over and said he was pretty sore.”
Molitor, who thought it might be 3-5 days, said he didn’t notice any difference in Sano’s swing but that hitting coach Tom Brunansky told him Sano opened up his front foot while landing, subconsciously protecting the ankle.
Sano had settled into the clean-up spot, allowing Molitor more creativity in writing lineups.
“We don’t have a prototypical No. 4 hitter and we’ve been rotating guys through there,” Molitor said. “I’ve seen the reports and seen him enough to know he has the makeup and ability to handle it. Part of it is out of need.”
Trevor Plouffe spent the most time there. Torii Hunter batted fourth on Sunday. Brian Dozier and Kurt Suzuki have also been used there.