Darin Mastroianni is no longer in the Twins organization.
Mastroianni was claimed off waivers from by his original organization the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Twins removed Mastroianni from the 40-man roster on Sunday to make room for outfielder Sam Fuld, who they claimed off of waivers from Oakland on Sunday.
The Blue Jays have claimed Darin Mastroianni off waivers. #MNTwins
— Dustin Morse (@morsecode) April 22, 2014
“That sucks,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire told the Pioneer Press. “We like Mastro an awful lot. We definitely wanted him too. He’s a good player and a good kid. You wish him nothing but the best. Wish we could have kept him.”
He had struggled since being called up by the Twins after the team placed Oswaldo Arcia on the disabled list. He was 0 for 11 with five strikeouts in the majors to this point and was coming off a season that was lost due to an ankle injury.
The Twins originally claimed the speedy outfielder off of waivers on Feb. 2, 2012. He reached the majors later that season and hit .252 in 163 at-bats. He also stole 21 bases.
Mastroianni will be assigned to Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate, Buffalo.
The Twins may have been able to hold on to Mastroianni if Jason Bartlett’s retirement had become official one day sooner, according to 1500 ESPN’s Derek Wetmore.
Bartlett told the team last week he intended to retire. He was still on the 40-man roster on Sunday, when the Twins designated Mastroianni for assignment after claiming outfielder Sam Fuld off of waivers from Oakland.
If Bartlett’s retirement had become official sooner, the team would have had a spot on the 40-man roster without having to waive Mastroianni.
Fuld’s signing is another move by the Twins as they continued to tinker with their outfield situation. Mastroianni began the season at Triple-A Rochester.
Alex Presley was also claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros prior to the start of the season, when the Twins chose to give the roster spot to Bartlett, instead.
