Just one day after Twins pitcher Trevor May was shifted back to the bullpen, the young right hander seemed to be coming to grips with it.
Because of the role he played in the Twins bullpen last season, May was considered a long shot to make the rotation this year. After allowing himself a day to absorb the news, he seemed to be at peace with it Thursday.
“When it comes down to it, they saw my value more in the ‘pen than as a starter now,” May told the Pioneer Press. “It depends on what you have at any given moment. Strengthening the pen along with a solid starting rotation is what they’re trying to do now. That’s kind of what teams are shifting to.”
Others haven’t handled the situation nearly as well, as evidenced by comments from Ricky Nolasco’s agent earlier in Spring training.
May was back working in the bullpen on Thursday and had a solid outing.
May looked good. Hitting 93-94, changeup good and at about 84, and a sharp, slow curve at about 75-76. https://t.co/v6i7xk7ne6
— Seth Stohs (@SethTweets) March 17, 2016
Major League Baseball teams have been shifting more importance back to the bullpen. That model was created by the Kansas City Royals, who have made back-to-back World Series appearances, largely because of the way their bullpen has been able to shut down games.
The Twins hope May can pick up where he left off working out of the pen last year. He could help secure the back end of the bullpen along with Glen Perkins and Kevin Jepsen.
“I’m where I am,” May told the Pioneer Press. “I feel I can be successful out there. I think I’ve been successful there and I think I’m going to continue to be successful there. It’s a great group of guys out there, too. We have a lot of fun and we feed off each other. It’s a good thing to be a part of.”
