The Twins sent right-hander Liam Hendriks down to Triple-A Rochester Saturday morning to make room for left-handed pitcher Scott Diamond, the Pioneer Press reports.
Diamond will make his season debut against the New York Mets Saturday afternoon at Target Field after he’s activated from the 15-day disabled list. The pitcher had surgery to remove a bone chip from his left elbow last December.
Diamond tells MLB.com that he’s excited to be back, “just being back in the locker room and seeing the guys again, I kinda missed them.”
Meanwhile, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire calls the Hendriks demotion “a rough situation,” the Pioneer Press reports. The native Australian was 0-1 this season in two starts with a 4.66 ERA. His record is 1-11 in 22 major league starts.
The right-hander has had much better luck at Triple-A Rochester, where he has gone a combined combined 13-7 with a 2.95 ERA in 25 starts over the past two seasons.
According to the Pioneer Press, Gardenhire says Hendriks needs to work on mixing his pitches better and improving his efficiency.
