Michael

Restovich

Restovich said his collarbone is fine but his weakened right shoulder needs some rehab.

He’s only started 11 games since being acquired in May, and is most well known for accidentally bopping Jack Wilson in the head with a bat in July, but maybe that’s all about to change.

Because of Jason Kubel’s presence, Restovich isn’t in Minnesota’s long-term plans. He’ll be a pinch-hitter now and trade bait in the offseason.

It hasn’t been a good offseason for the Twins’ young outfielders. Lew Ford might want to think about padding his walls. Restovich should be recovered from the broken collarbone in 4-6 weeks.

That’s not a good sign. Restovich, who is out of options, is expected to make the Twins as a reserve if healthy.

Restovich is 5-for-11 after three games. It will be interesting to see whether Restovich is kept on the 40-man roster by the Pirates this winter. New manager Jim Tracy will probably have some say in the decision. It’d only make sense to keep him if there’s going to be a left-handed hitter for him to platoon with in the Pittsburgh outfield.

Restovich is batting .386/.471/.659 in 44 at-bats. He’s likely helping his chances of staying on the Pirates’ 40-man roster. Whether that’s the best thing for his career is a separate issue.

He was named the league’s player of the week today. Restovich is batting .382/.482/.721 in 68 at-bats. He’s third in average, tied for fourth with five homers and in first place with 23 RBI.

With Ryan Doumit up and Rob Mackowiak starting to play against some lefties, Restovich has no role on the Pirates. If the team decides that Doumit has a long-term role on the team, Restovich might find himself back on waivers.

He’ll serve as Daryle Ward’s backup after he re-learns to play the position from instructor Alvaro Espinoza. He played some first in Triple-A, so it won’t be totally new to Restovich. Ty Wigginton was the backup first baseman until he was sent to the minors last week.