Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports the Twins are promoting Alex Meyer.
Meyer used to be a starter than got switched to a relief role and now is starting again. Control has always been an issue for him but he throws hard. He pitched in two big league games last year and got clobbered. This year in Triple-A so far he’s pitched in three games, starting two, and has struck out 19 guys and only walked four in seventeen and a third innings. Perhaps he’s finally put it all together.
UPDATE: It wasn’t just a big name coming up. It was a big name going down: the Twins optioned Byron Buxton and Max Kepler to Triple-A Rochester as part of the Meyer recall. Buxton, one of the top prospects in all of baseball, has struggled mightily in the early going, with only seven hits in 45 at bats in 49 plate appearances this year. With his time up last year he’s hitting .195/.239/.316 in 187 major league plate appearances. That won’t cut it. He needs more time.